Modern Miko
by Ali Marie
Summary: Betrayal weaves a complex web, especially in the unpredictable Universe of the Four Gods. Four California teens enter this world, caught up in the motives of an ancient book who needs their help, but what has changed since the last Miko?
1. All That You Could Wish For

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yuu Watase, not to me. ^_^ The other, non-FY characters are ours, though, as are the particular personalities of the reincarnated seishi, and the story ideas in general. ^_~ But yeah, FY does not belong to us.

Notes:   **Ari**: I mainly write the story itself, but all of us (Yume, Mirai, and Ari) contribute ideas and such to it. It's a group effort, no da!

**_Modern Miko_**

__

            _In times of great need, when peril_  _and conflict revisits the accelerated time of the Universe of the Four Gods, new avatars are chosen, drawn by a cause outside of their own existence. The Celestial Gods reassemble—the same essence, but somehow altered to fit in the new situation that awakens them._

_            Suzaku. Seiryuu. Byakko. Genbu. They cross time and dimension to wrap another set of young girls in their eternal story. To find the ones that can save them._

_            And in an entirely different time and place, where the sun beats down and phantom pools of water shimmer on the horizon, a strange invention fulfills a not so foreign need._

"AC!" shouted Yume, letting the blast of cold air blow back her red-brown hair. She turned the dial still further.

            "I think that's enough," her friend laughed from the back-seat. She flipped one of her blond braids over her shoulder and tried to duck out of the buffeting air.

            "Ari, you'll be missing this once we step out into the heat." Yume shook her head as the van pulled into the parking lot. All too soon, they were parked and shuffled into the shopping center, the humidity heavy in the air.

            Ari glanced not-too-subtlely at a used bookstore at the end of the row of shops, but Yume was quick to notice and just as quick to form a petition.

            "Ari and I want to go over... there." Yume gestured toward the store vaguely, but her mother nodded with little hesitation.

            "I'm going to the craft store, you two be careful. Are you sure you don't want to go with m—" 

            "No! Um, no thanks," Yume said with a smile. "Is Trav going with you?" she teased, nudging her cousin, who glared at her. 

            "No way," he mumbled. They separated, and the three teens entered the store.

            The door swung open stiffly, a bell ringing as they passed through. Almost lost in the narrow shelves of books crammed into the store was a desk where a stuffy-looking old man sat, eyeing them as they passed. Ari met eyes with him briefly but warily, taking in all the dusty books that overwhelmed the shop.

            Running her finger across the spines that stretched as far as the eye could see, she became lost in the sheer amount of ancient literature.

            "Have you ever seen so many old books?" she breathed.

            When no one answered, she forced herself to look away from the cracked and faded covers.

            "Yume?"

            Ari spun around, but no one else stood in her row. _Great…_

            She half-ran down the row of shelves until she reached the end, and then peered around the corner. Still no Yume. The next row, she still had no luck, although she did find Travis, crouching beside a yellowing stack of comics and gaming magazines.

            "Trav?" She stood behind him and tapped him on his shoulder. He subconsciously brushed her away, scanning the pages that seemed like they might fall apart in his hands.

            "No, no Yume. Can't leave yet. Come back later." 

            "I'm Ari. Have you _seen Yume? I was sure she had been right behind me." Ari fingered a braid thoughtfully, still glancing up and down the row for any sign of her friend. When Trav only shrugged, she knew she wouldn't be getting anything more out of him and stalked off to find Yume herself._

            **********

            Ari almost didn't find the door at the very back of the bookstore. It was easy enough to miss—the same color as the walls, hidden behind stacks of books piled haphazardly to the ceiling. A few of the books slid from their piles; a few towers leaned dangerously. It was the last place to look. Pressing in closer to the door, she pretended to ignore the pale green light it seemed to be giving off.

            "It probably just leads outside. Or, it's probably locked, I'm sure." Even so, she hesitated as she reached for the doorknob. When it seemed to be stuck, she thought for a moment that her guess that it was locked had been correct. Then it finally gave, and the door creaked open on rusty hinges. The 'imaginary' green-tinged light swirled around her, but when she blinked she found Yume grinning up at her, books scattered all around.

            "Did you see…?" The words stuck in Ari's throat. _I don't need her to think I've gone crazy._ She took in the books that surrounded Yume, bending down to pick one up.

            "They're Japanese," Yume said, also flipping through one. "And Chinese, too, I think."

            Ari nodded. She and Yume knew a little of the languages, after taking some classes together the year before. This find certainly was interesting.

            The small backroom was dimly lit by a lamp hanging from the low ceiling. It had no windows, and only the one door. A few shelves lined the walls, but most of the books had been dumped into seemingly random boxes, of which a few had been poured on the floor by Yume.

            "Mostly histories… some poetry," Yume said as she skimmed through a few more of the slender volumes. Ari peered into some of the boxes, and then turned her attention to a shelf on the far wall. Leaning over and placing her hands on her knees, she scanned the names, not sure exactly what she was looking for. She brushed a finger across a section of books on the third row from the top of the shelf.

            _Green tigers…what? That makes no sense, why did I think of that?_ She turned to call Yume over, and jostled the shelf. A red book with a white spine fluttered to the ground, face down. It was slightly charred around the edges. Ari folded her legs under her and bent to pick it up, but by that time Yume had gotten there and snatched it off the ground.

            Flipping the book over to read the characters—ancient Chinese, though the book itself had been translated into Japanese at one time—Yume frowned thoughtfully.

            "Why would someone try to destroy this?" she wondered aloud. "But at the same time… it doesn't look damaged." Yume looked up at Ari, then back down at the book. She then grinned.

            "Now I've _got to know what's in this book," she laughed, beginning to turn the page. Ari's hand caught her wrist, and she let the pages fall. "What now?"_

            "Call me superstitious, but what if this book is… black magic? Or something like that." Ari shifted uncomfortably. 

            "Pfft, it just looks like some book on the history of ancient China to me. See? 'The…Universe of the Four... er… Gods?' Harmless." Yume rolled her eyes and began to read. After one last exasperated sign, Ari scooted over so she could see it too.

            "The book itself, is a…" Yume said out loud, brows furrowed. Ari leaned closer to the book.

            "Spell. Yume, it says spell. Do I need to say I told you s—" 

            The world lurched. Countless memories not her own flashed through her mind, none of them clear, but all of them as real-seeming as the room she was in. A thousand lifetimes later, in that split second of the physical world, Ari shivered and looked back at the slender red volume spread between her and her friend. 

            "I… I think we should put this back, Yume." Her voice sounded odd to herself, for a reason she couldn't explain. "Yume?" Ari's friend seemed hypnotized by the book, scanning the strange characters eagerly. When she finally looked up, her eyes shone with excitement.

            "See here, Ari? If one reads through the book, supposedly they get a wish… anything in their wildest dreams! And then they—"

            "Stop right there. You can't possibly believe this stuff." Ari met Yume's gaze sternly.

            "Let me have a little fun," Yume laughed. "I… guess I don't really think it's true. It's really weird though… for a minute, I wanted it to be." Ari raised an eyebrow. "It's just a book… a story! Lots of stories have wishes in them, and they don't expect you to believe them. It's like, um… and ancient Chinese fairy tale!"

            "I guess so," Ari finally said.

            "Okay, good. Now where was I…" Yume scanned the first page. "Right. 'The one who reads the book… will get a wish, just like the girl in the story.' "

            _The girl in the… story?_ A green mist seemed about to swallow her. _Phoenix__…? The room was suddenly very cold, and began to spin. Below her. Thoughts skittered across her mind but didn't seem to make sense, so she did her best to ignore them. All there was, was a floating sensation, a scream she thought idly that she should recognize, and everywhere, enveloping all her senses, the pale green light. And then darkness.  _


	2. Rude Awakenings

Disclaimer: Still don't own Fushigi Yuugi… :P

            A/N: **Ari: Here we go, chapter two! ^_^ Notes to reviewers will be at the end of the chapter.**

                    **Yume:  **Yeah peoples… I'm the co-author. *mutter* But I suck at writing and am like a baby in skillz when compared to Ari here.* /mutter* Anyway. Chapter 2 is really awesome… it introduces my favorite rogued up version of Tamahome. *swoon* w0rd. Okie. I'll be quite and let you peoples read. Remember 2 always 534Cl 1337 ;)

            **        Ari:** Umm, yeah. ^_^;;  Hope you all enjoy the latest chapter! (Aiiie, I just noticed the summary of the story gets cut off! o_O Oops.. hope that doesn't stop people from wanting to read it! It's _supposed to say 'and the seishi of the book-world may not be as one remembers them.' Bah.)_

**_Modern Miko: Chapter Two_**

          Travis gently set the last magazine back on the pile, making a mental note to come back to the store one day when he actually had money with him. As he let his mind come out of gaming land enough to once again be aware of his surroundings, a strange feeling came over him. He realized then just how quiet it had become.

            He attempted to shake it off. Rising from a crouching position, he glance up and down the aisle with an unexplainable sense of foreboding. Suddenly in a panic, he ran to the other end of the store, ignoring the flustered protests of the man at the desk. Travis scoured the bookstore for his cousin, alternating between calling her name, and that of her friend. _I know they wouldn't leave without me…_

            After a second or third go-around, he noticed a door at the very back of the shop. He could have sworn that if there had been a door there, he would have noticed the _first time—without hesitation he turned the knob until it began to give. If he wasn't supposed to go back there, it probably didn't matter—he had certainly broken enough rules already to begin with. The door opened._

            Trav's first reaction upon entering the room was to shield his eyes. Beams of green and purple light were shooting out of an open book—_Actually kind of cool… like something in a game_—but his second reaction was to launch himself across the room and touch his cousin's shoulder. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he had to close the book, to snap her out of it at all costs. Yume held the right side of the small red book in one hand, Ari holding the opposite side in hers. Despite the blinding light, they stared at the book as if they were in a trance.

            It was too late. The light only became brighter, until Travis had to squeeze his eyes shut against it. His limbs were frozen, his mouth wouldn't make a sound. He was stuck, and whatever was happening to them was about to happen to him as well.

            *******

            _So warm…no…too warm!_ Yume leapt to her feet, searing pain still lingering all over her arms, legs, and back. At the same instant, her eyes snapped open. She immediately regretted it. Dots of colored light floated across her vision, as if she had been staring at a lightbulb for too long. Or the sun… which was at that moment beating down mercilessly—wherever she was.

            _I knew Visalia was hot today, but this is ridiculous!_ She blinked several times to clear her vision, sweat pouring off of her face. Whenever she attempted to wipe it away, it was just as quickly replaced. She then truly took in her surroundings.

            The place where she had landed couldn't have been further from being anything like the dusty California bookstore. Rolling dunes of dark, golden sand stretched to the horizon in most directions; from the top of the dune she was on, she could see what was likely a town in the distance. That, at least, was promising. Other than the distant buildings, only small stands of twisted, withered-looking trees broke up the monotony of sand that stretched in every direction.

            _So, I'm in a desert…somewhere. The book must've…Ari!_ Yume spun around frantically. She hadn't seen her friend when she had briefly looked around, but she could only see so far. What if Ari had been sent somewhere completely different? It was a possibility she would have to consider. But first, she slid down the dune she had appeared on, to check the nearby area. 

            To Yume's relief, Ari lay at the bottom of the dune, propped up by her elbows and rubbing her head with one hand. To Yume's _surprise_, her cousin Travis also lay at the bottom of the dune, sprawled face-down a few feet away from Ari. But there was no time to wonder how he had also appeared in this strange place. Without water and shelter, none of them would last long. Yume sprinted to her cousin's side, gently shaking his shoulder.

            "Trav?" He groaned slightly in response, and she flipped him over onto his back. Travis coughed several times, while attempting to open his eyes. Wincing as soon as they did, he snapped them tightly shut again.

            "Yume…where are we? Nevermind… I'm sure you don't know either." He licked his lips, then made a sour face when he found that they were covered in sand. "It was the book, wasn't it?" He continued, "I had a bad feeling about it…tried to stop you. Guess it didn't work too well." He laughed humorlessly, which caused him to cough again. Yume watched him with a worried expression, which he seemed to sense—even with his eyes closed.

            "I'll be okay." He grunted as he lifted himself into a sitting position. Once again he tried opening his eyes; it obviously pained him, but he didn't close them again. Scrubbing a hand through his light brown hair, he glanced over at Ari, who was now rising to her feet.

            "Everyone accounted for, huh? That's good…What am I saying? We've been transported to a strange desert land by a glowing book, and we don't even have any—"

            "Water?" Ari suggested, at the same time as he finished.

            "—random battle enemies to fight!"

            Yume and Ari stared at him incredulously. 

            "Guys…guys, I'm just kidding," he said.

            "Sometimes I'm not so sure…" Yume raised an eyebrow.

            "I am!"

            "Of course." She rolled her eyes, glanced over at Ari, who looked like she was barely holding in laughter. Travis, the gaming addict… even when stranded in an unknown land he couldn't help comparing it to some video game. Well, at least he had no trouble keeping his sense of humor.

            "Ahh, forget it," he said, shaking his head. "I—"

            Whatever he had been about to say was cut off, quickly forgotten by himself and the other two as they followed his startled gaze. Turning so the dunes rose behind them, the girls drew closer to Trav as he scrambled to his feet, Ari to his left, Yume to his right. Ahead of them, their profiles indistinct and shimmering in the desert light, were two young men. They walked casually in long strides across the sand, laughing and talking as if they belonged there. One had the carcass of a medium-sized animal that resembled a boar slung over his shoulder. It was when they were only paces away from the group that they tensed, finally noticing the presence of other people in the shadow of the base of the dune. They turned to each other and whispered, occasionally glancing over at them, before they turned toward the strangers with seemingly friendly grins plastered on their faces.

            The one who appeared to be the oldest, perhaps in his late teens with dark blue hair tied back with a strip of orangish-brown leather and mischievous blue-purple eyes, approached Ari. She flinched as he drew a finger along her chin, and scowled as he looked over at Yume. At the same time, though, he didn't seem sinister. As if he merely enjoyed toying with them, making them wonder…but somehow she didn't think he would harm them.

            Travis was grinding his teeth, clenching his fists like he intended to do something, but hadn't yet decided _what. Blue Hair looked over his shoulder at his friend, who still stood a bit further away._

            "Here we have some pretty ones," he called. His friend merely raised his head slightly in acknowledgment, setting the animal on the ground.

            Yume cleared her throat, her eyes darting between the two men.

            "Are you… slave traders or something?"

            Blue Hair's friend, a lanky teen with darkish brown hair that hung almost to his shoulders and nearly covered his face, seemed to panic at this accusation. He pushed back his hair to reveal a smooth and youthful face, wide jade-green eyes that caught Blue Hair's earnestly.

            _Needs facial hair_, Yume thought.

            Blue Hair caught the look.

            "No, strangely-dressed one. We're no slave traders. Just your normal, every-day bandits." He made a mock bow. Jade Eyes stiffened, but didn't deny it.

            "Bandits, you say," Travis growled, taking a step forward. Blue Hair nodded, grinning but making no move to step back.

            "That's right… out for some hunting today, Tatara and I." He nodded towards the carcass that lay in the sand. "You folks wouldn't happen to have any money with you, would you?" He sighed as each of the strangers slowly shook their head. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.. of course, that also means you won't get an escort into the city." Flashing a quick grin, he turned his attention to Yume.

            "Nice ring you have there. Can I have it? Really? Thank you." He had snatched it from her as quickly as he had said that, tossing the silver ring up into the air and catching it.

            "For trespassing." He winked, and began to walk away.

            ******

            **Ari:** As promised, I have comments for each of the reviewers. ^_^ But first, I will answer a few questions you may or may not have had while reading this chapter.

            _Q: How did Travis get into the book? All other people who have entered the book in the official stories were young girls._

**A: Well, I can't answer that completely. It is part of the plot. ;) But realize that this was planned and not an error on the part of the authors/planners. The book has let some pretty odd things happen, remember.. originally, Yui and Miaka shouldn't have been able to enter the book at the same time, but it was strong emotions (jealousy, for one) that drew them both in. **

_Q: Why bother with the 'Blue Hair' thing. _I _know who it's supposed to be, and_ you_ know who it's supposed to be…_

**A: But they don't. ;) Sorry if it gets on anyone's nerves that he goes nameless for a while.. I dunno, it's kinda fun calling him Blue Hair. Maybe? ^_^**

Anyway, you can totally ignore that part if no one wondered any of that… yeah. I'm just paranoid about misunderstandings, I guess. Now for reviewer comments…

**Rhapsody: My first reviewer. Arigato! ^_^ I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far.**

**MR.Anonymous Hehehe. Hilarious, eh? Well, I have much plans for all the characters, including Trav. So you'll just have to read and find out. ^_~ Thanks for reading!**

**Aqua: Within the next _week? :P Ah, my friend, you underestimate my updating skills! Eh, besides… the SW Galaxies servers are all down for an unknown amount of time. -_-;; But I woulda updated the story even if they weren't. Really!****___**


	3. And Then There Was Two

**Disclaimer: **Nope, nothing has changed since yesterday. ;) Fushigi Yuugi still belongs to Yu Watase.

            **Ari:** Thanks for all the reviews everyone! ^_^ It has encouraged me to type up and upload another chapter, even when I have a nasty summer cold. -_- Ehh... I'm okay though. I'll rest plenty later. Not that sitting in front of a comp tires me out much anyway. On with the story!

            **_Modern Miko: Chapter Three_**

            It had all happened so quickly, only then did Yume react.

            "But… that's… the ring was my birthday present!" she sputtered. Blue Hair waved away her protests without looking back, joining Tatara where he stood a few paces away.

            Travis snickered. "'Birthday present'…nice one, Gollum." Yume bit her lip, turned toward him.

            "Trav, this is no laughing matter! I _have to get that ring back." Trav suddenly turned serious. He watched Blue Hair, who held the ring between thumb and forefinger. It glinted in the sun; Trav's expression hardened with determination._

            "I'll get it, don't worry…" Before Yume could respond, he began to sprint towards the two men. She blinked. He disappeared.

            Blue Hair had seen Travis charging at him out of the corner of his eye, and had half-turned to meet him before he simply… wasn't there. Narrowing his eyes, he searched the near-by dunes for any kind of trick. There was a still, unreal moment of utter silence, and then there was chaos.

            Everyone began talking at once, gesturing wildly and trying to make some sense out of what had just happened. Unfamiliar lands or no, people did not just disappear before your eyes.

            Blue Hair approached Yume, his face twisted into an expression half snarl, half smirk. For once, he didn't seem entirely confident. He shook a finger in her face, but she refused to flinch as her eyes burned into his. This place was definitely starting to scare her. Where had her cousin gone? She gritted her teeth.

            "You…jerk! First you steal my ring, and now my cousin is gone as well? Where the heck is he?" she demanded, batting his finger out of her face with one hand. She stood her ground as he stepped closer, dangling her ring in front of her eyes by its chain. It swung back and forth, but he snatched it back with expert speed when she made a move to grab it. 

            "Ah, ah, ah…" he said, seemingly regaining control of the situation. "That was a fancy little trick you pulled there. I'd very much like to know how you did it." He narrowed his eyes. Yume glanced over at Ari. She was kicking at the patch of dirt Travis had disappeared from, looking quite bewildered. Tatara wasn't too far away, scanning the horizon with an expression on his face almost identical to Ari's. Yume wondered if she was as pale as she felt, but only had a moment to wonder this before having her attention drawn back to the blue-haired young man.

            "Well?" he growled.

            "Well what?"

            "What kind of magic was it?"

            "Say _what_?" Yume asked, getting even more frustrated.

            Blue Hair frowned, and stepped back. 

            "If that's how you want to play…" A glint of mischief appeared in his eyes as he continued to back away, until he was only a few steps away from Tatara and Ari.

            "Think fast, my friend," said Blue Hair as silver flew through his fingertips in an arc behind him. It cut through the dry and quivering desert air, before landing in Tatara's outstretched palm.  This took a split second to transpire, but time had stretched as Yume watched in horror.

            "Count yourself lucky my friend here has such quick reflexes. It would've been a nightmare to search for, out here," Blue Hair said with a wink.

            "Lucky?!" Yume said, reaching her breaking point rapidly. "You call losing my ring and my favorite cousin in a matter of minutes _lucky?" If he had been any closer, she might have slapped him._

            "_Losing_ your cousin? Don't play games with me, girl. _You_ know what you did, and _I_ know what you did, so—"

            He was unable to finish what he had been about to say, as Ari lunged at Tatara with a frustrated shriek. Tatara closed his fist over the ring, stumbling back as she tackled him from the side.

            "Ta—"he began to say, before they blinked away as if they had never been there. 

             A hot wind stirred up the empty sand dune—empty, besides the wild animal carcass Tatara had been carrying—as Blue Hair gaped in disbelief.  Looking startled and angry at the same time, he whirled around to face Yume.

            "You little _witch_!" he spat. Yume attempted to sputter her innocence of the situation, but he would hear none of it. Bracing his feet apart on the sand dune, he untied his hair and threw the small strip of orangish leather to the ground. Yume briefly glanced from it to him, wondering what he was up to. _What kind of place is this, where people just wink out of existence without warning?_

            The hot wind—formerly little more than a breeze—kicked up, swirling around the dune. Yume tried to gulp in some air, and it nearly choked her. Blue Hair was smirking again, his eyes ablaze with some unexplainable fire that hadn't been there before. His unusual hair, now wild and flying about in the wind, seemed to move with a mind of its own, and—strangest of all—he seemed to be _glowing._

            "I was born with the name Kamejiro," he said. "But you may call me Tamahome. Most people do." With that declaration, something truly bizarre happened. A glowing Japanese character appeared on his forehead. It was purple, like the light from the book. _Demon? It says _demon? _Ohh, what have I gotten myself into…_

As if he had sensed her thoughts, his smirk spread into a disturbing grin.

            "Talk, girl… or I'll be forced to take more drastic measures."

            Yume had no time to wonder if he was serious or not. It was down to just the two of them. Would they disappear next? None of it made any sense.

            "Wait! I don't belong in this place, I'm no witch! I'm just a curious girl from California, and I'm not even sure how I got here!" Yume attempted to say over the wind.

            "From _where_, you say? It doesn't matter. You're a clever, tricky one and no 'tale of woe' will convince me otherwise." Tamahome clenched his fists, seeming on the verge of charging. Considering it, that is, until the sound of several pairs of feet became audible, coming from somewhere nearby.

            Seemingly disappointed, Tamahome relaxed, the character disappearing along with the glow. Sparing a glance for Yume and neglecting to retrieve the strip of leather, he sprinted away from the area just as the group of people crested a nearby dune. Able to breathe again, Yume sunk to the ground as she sucked in giant gulps of air. She grasped at her neck and received a fresh wave of panic; she felt naked without her ring on its chain around her neck. Now 'Tatara' had it, wherever he may be.

            The new strangers were climbing her dune. For reasons she couldn't explain, she snatched up the leather piece forgotten by Tamahome, tucking it into her pocket. When she looked up, she was once again surrounded by strange men. There was only about a half dozen of them, and they didn't seem particularly sinister. Of course, neither had Tamahome, at first. Yume attempted to back away, but they had quickly formed a circle around the top of the dune. There appeared to be no escape, and they seemed to be staring at her like she was some kind of alien. Then again, in this place, she might as well be…

            ******

            **Ari:** Aren't you all so totally shocked at Blue Hair's revelation? ^_^ Okay, so it wasn't supposed to necessarily be some 'big secret'. I just wanted him to have a dramatic introduction, hehe. I have a new "Q&A" I thought to add, so here we go…

            _Q: The colors are all wrong! Suzaku is red, not purple, right?_

**A: True, true. ^_^ But like the intro says, the celestial gods become 'the same essence, but changed to fit the new situation'… or at least that's how it works in this story. I know the colors are traditional, white tiger and all that, but we thought it would be fun and interesting to have personalized miko colors. *shrugs* **

            Anyway, but really, what kind of Tamahome is this? Threatening people and stealing stuff? Sheesh. ^_^;; Also, there may be a bit of a delay in posting the next chapter (thought not too long, I hope). I'm almost out of pages that are already written, so I'll have to write a bit more before chapter 4 can go up. But you can't always expect daily updates, ya know. ;) So, hope you all enjoy!


	4. Substitution or Dangerous Drifting

                Disclaimer: It would be nice if I owned Fushigi Yuugi, of course… but I don't, nor would I claim to. :P 'Curious Playing Around' (you'll see.. ^_^;;) belongs to Yu Watase as well.

            **Ari: **I didn't expect to finish writing chapter 4 so quickly, since I had to write so many new pages to finish it up. ^_^ (I'm kind of a picky writer… I'm not overly critical of myself, but I do tend to be a perfectionist, which sometimes stops me from writing. It's usually better with this story, though, for some reason.) So, without further ado, I present… Modern Miko, chapter 4! … *sneezes* Stupid cold. -_-  (Oh yeah… more reviewer comments at the bottom.)

            **_Modern Miko: Chapter Four_**

          Stretched out on a shaded patch of grass slightly damp from early morning dew, Ari felt like she had slept for days. A bird called harshly somewhere above her, breaking the dream-like silence of the moment. She propped herself up on one elbow and glanced around as her eyes adjusted to the light. That was when she remembered.

            She was in a book, a book where impossible things happened like friends disappearing before your eyes and being transported to random places. It truly was amazing that she felt so calm about the whole situation. Then again, she'd probably freak out in a few hours or so, when it really hit her.

            Deciding that nothing would be accomplished by just sitting there thinking and wondering, she stretched her arms—and hit something soft, and decidedly un-grasslike. Jerking her arm back, she held her breath as Tatara shifted in his sleep. He only grunted and flung one arm up over his eyes, before settling back into deep, rhythmic breathing. Ari relaxed a bit, waiting a few minutes before rising to her feet.

            She was about to walk away, when a familiar metallic glint caught her eye.

            _How could I forget?_

            Taking care not to crush too many leaves as she crept to his side, Ari kept her eye one the small circle of silver resting in the center of Tatara's palm. His fingers were slightly curved protectively around it, but under ideal conditions it seemed easy enough to get to. She hoped. The way his friend had acted, she didn't know what to expect if he woke up—especially if it was while she was trying to _take_ something from him. Bandits. She really didn't want to find out.

            Barely daring to breath, she crouched on the other side of him and stretched her fingers slowly toward the ring. Every movement, every twitch, every breath was slightly off beat caused Ari to hesitate, to wonder if this was really something she should be doing. At the same time, every moment of hesitation brought the possibility of a rather…uncomfortable… awakening closer. Leaning over him, she snatched up the ring between two fingers as carefully yet quickly as she possibly could.

            Unfortunately, it wasn't careful enough. Though still asleep, Tatara sensed the loss of the weight of the ring, and began to stir. Ari's heart stopped.

            "Roast boar tonight…" he muttered, patting the ground around him as if searching for the ring.

            _Men…always thinking about food, even in their sleep._ Ari shook her head sadly. It was then that an idea occurred to her.

            "Indiana Jones!" she whispered excitedly. Scrabbling around for a stone of the right size and weight, she watched Tatara's sleeping form from the corner of her eye. He really didn't _look_ the bandit type, she mused. Appearances could be deceiving, of course, but it just didn't seem to fit.

            _Except for his hair,_ she thought. _So ragged, and hanging in his face…_that _fits the part just perfectly._ Finally finding what she had been looking for, she crept back to the place where he lay. It may have been her imagination, but he seemed to be sleeping more shallowly. It probably would be best for her to get out of there as soon as possible.

            Pressing a smooth, round stone into his palm, she breathed a silent prayer that she would be able to pull this off. He seemed to relax, partially closing a fist around the phantom 'ring'. Ari, convinced that he was satisfied for the moment, snuck out of the glade and left him to his sleep.

            ******

            Travis had never had a worse headache in all his sixteen years. It overwhelmed him, consumed him; he _was_ the headache. Pressing his forehead against the refreshingly cool tile floor, he tried to think past the pain. His head still throbbed, but the cold sensation soothed the worst of it.

            It wasn't that he had forgotten what had happened, but rather that he had a hard time letting himself think back on it. In some ways, it seemed almost better to believe it had happened to someone else, that it was just something he had read about, played, or watched on TV. He wouldn't let himself look at the book, still lying open the same way they had left it, but he knew it was there. Just as real as the headache that now tormented him.

            _The book sent me back. Why?_

            There hadn't been any warning. One minute he was charging that freak with blue hair, the next he…wasn't. There was no other way to say it; there was no in between. And it hadn't been anything like how he had gone in.

            Unlike when he entered the book-world—he had no idea what it was called, as he didn't read or speak Japanese—there had been no blinding, colored light around him when he disappeared. That was the first difference, but not the most extreme. The instant he disappeared, he had returned to that surreal, floaty place that was neither the book's world, nor the 'real' world. Instead of just floating around for a bit and then returning to his world, Trav experienced something entirely different.

            On his way in, he had been surrounded by streaks of purple and green, swirling around him. On the return trip, it was a smoky orange. Instead of swirling like the other colors, it began to flicker. Rapidly. That by itself seemed enough to give someone a headache. Trav was reminded of the Pokemon incident quite a few years back where all those little Japanese kids had seizures. 

            The flickering became faster and faster, until it reached a plateau, and stopped. Travis had had only a moment's relief, before he felt an intense tingling sensation. Like when someone's foot falls asleep, except it was his entire body. That was when he began to feel deep down that something had gone horribly wrong. The last thought he had, before he felt like he was being split in two. Pain ripped through his skull, his left shoulder felt like it was on fire. He was burning up, tingling, and vaguely nauseated all at the same time. Just before it seemed that he might pass out, it was over just as quickly as it had begun.

            Which had left him here, lying prone on the floor of the store's back-room. When his ears had stopped roaring and his heart stopped thumping like he had run for miles, only one thought was clear. _That was not __supposed to happen. And he lay there for an unknown amount of time, the lingering pain taking over. _

            But that was then. For as much as he had gone through in that hellish anti-place, the effects had ebbed rather quickly. Not a tingle remained within a few minutes, and upon returning to the room his shoulder hadn't burned at all. It wasn't long before nothing was left but the persistent headache and a touch of nausea. He hoped that it would _all go away soon, but he feared he was stuck with the headache for now._

            _If Yume and Ari return… I don't want them to ever have to go through that. Whatever it was._

            It was a few minutes before Travis even attempted to lift his head, to make himself consider changing his position. Cautiously he lifted himself, as slowly as he possibly could. When his pain didn't worsen, he breathed a little easier. Eventually, he was able to stand and look around.

            He was unable to tell what time of day it was due to the lack of windows in the room and his lack of a watch, but he figured they had been in the book for about an hour. Long enough for his aunt to get worried, definitely. Trav glanced over at the book. It certainly looked innocent enough, if you didn't notice the eerily charred edges. He walked over to it, studying it for a moment. There was no way he wanted to touch it again, but something had to be done. Taking a deep breath, ready to pull away if he sensed _anything unusual, he stretched his fingers towards it… then thought better of it. He nudged it with his foot until it closed, and _then_ picked it up by its spine._

            _Well, now what? _

His headache was essentially gone by this point. Getting a firmer, more confident grip on the spine, he stepped towards the door and turned the knob with his other hand.

            The man at the desk hardly looked up when Travis approached. He did, however, eye the book that Travis set in front of him.

            "Where did you find this?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

            "On… on a shelf?" Travis said, wondering if the books in the back-room were valuable. There was no question; one way or another, he had to get the book out of here.

            "Are you sure?"

            Travis stood there, blinking, not sure what to say.

            "Because it looks like it might be from that foreign shipment we received," the man continued. "Some of them looked pretty nice, but this one appears to be damaged." He peered at it over his glasses. 

            "No matter," he finally said. "If you'd like, you can have it for free. It's not of any use to me."

            Travis couldn't believe his luck. _Then again… now I'm stuck with this thing. I need it, but it's almost more of a curse than 'luck' really. Still, he hadn't expected that it would be that easy._

            "Really? Thank you, sir," he said quickly, before rushing out the door, book in hand. Now he just needed the one person he could think of that could read the thing, and more importantly, the only person that would believe his story.

            _Mirai._

            ******

            **Ari:** I'm sorry, Trav! T_T Ehh… ouch. Soon Mirai will be in the story! Yay! Which reminds me, I credit it 'Indiana Jones' idea to Mirai. ^_~ She thought of it when I didn't know where to go from there, yup. 

And now, for something completely different… random insanity. No Q&A for today. Skip this if you don't like really odd 'bloopers' type things, kind of like Yu Watase does in some of the FY manga, and at the end of some of the OAV episodes. This is just where we let off any ideas we get that aren't consistent with the plot, or are just off the wall weird. It happens sometimes, when we're all together and hyped up on sugar. ^_^;;

******

            CURIOUS PLAYING AROUND! (Modern Miko Version, Pt. 1)

            "Indiana Jones!" she whispered excitedly. She began to search for a stone of the right size and weight.

            "Ahh, venison…" Tatara muttered, startling Ari and nearly causing her to trip over him. He settled back into sleep, still subconsciously searching around for the ring.

            **Ari:** Gomen. ^_^;; I hope this isn't seen as a bad pun… I detest puns. I just couldn't resist. If you don't get this joke… then go watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Even if you don't want to get this joke, go watch it. It's hilarious, and really good. ;) If you've seen it and *still* don't know what I'm talking about… well, it's from one of the signature lines of Indiana, where he says 'Ahh, Venice' throughout the movie. Since the Ari's idea came from Indiana Jones, and Tatara had just been talking about meat, I thought it was appropriate. Hopefully it was funny to someone other than me… otherwise I guess I'll just be amused by myself. ^_^;; So, that's all for now! Hope you all liked the chapter!

            Err… oh yeah. Reviewer comments. Guess I'm kind of rambling on today. Maybe it's because I'm getting better from my cold. *coughs* Well, I did promise. Alrighty.

            **Yo-Yo Kirby:** Wow. ^_^ *laughs* I like your analogy… very amusing. It still makes me chuckle when I read it. I am very flattered that you thought it was that good. Perhaps I'll read your .hack//sign fic one day… that is, when I get around to finishing the series. ^_^;;

            **Rhapsody:** You'll be reading from now on? Cool. ^_^ Glad ya like the descriptions… I'm very into detail. I can never just say "Then they were drawn into the book, and ended up in a desert", for example. Plot, on the other hand… sometimes eludes me. -_- This one seems to be coming together quite nicely, however.

            **WeaselGirl:** Hehehe. ^_^ Yeah. I kind of like this Tamahome a bit better too, in some ways. Bandits do indeed rock. Hope you update soon, too! Have to see Ayane's reaction. ^_~

            **Ciara Winter: **'Wicked cool'. Hehe, thanks! *grins* Glad you like it.

            **Lalala:** Thank ya! ^_^ Always happy to hear another person likes the story.

            **FYFangirl26:** Yeah, the disappearing people would indeed be quite freaky. o_O Lol, and yeah… this Tamahome is drastically different. I didn't know so many people would actually like him better, though. ^_^;; Very interesting. Oh, and I read your fic and reviewed it! I really like it! *grins*


	5. A Matter of Time

                Disclaimer: Yes, Yu Watase still owns Fushigi Yuugi. I do not. Mmk.

            **Ari:** Hey everyone. ^_^;; Well, it's been a while. I've been kind of… stuck, you might say. Stuck and busy. But look! A new chapter! *grins* I very much doubt that there will be this much of a space between this chapter and the next; one of the problems with this chapter is it was kind of a last minute "we should put this in earlier" kind of thing but it wasn't really planned out. I have probably the next two or three chapters pretty well planned out, with new ideas all the time, so hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace. So, with that said… on with the story!

            **_Modern Miko: Chapter Five_**

          Stepping out into the humid Visalia parking lot wasn't exactly a cool breeze compared to the dry desert of the other world, but Travis was convinced that he much preferred the former to the latter. He was relieved by the familiar sight of automobiles and asphalt, and not a boar-toting bandit to be found.

            As he cross the parking lot, he tried to recall the exact time that Mirai had agreed to meet them. Having calculated approximately how long he had been in the book, it somehow seemed doubtful that she still waited there, but he had to try. 5:30, was it? 6? It was likely long past that, now. He could only hope that she had been _very_ patient.

            When he reached the shaded sidewalk in front of the theater, a wave of disappointment and anxiety washed over him. No one was there. She was supposed to meet them there, supposed to be standing there outside, but she wasn't. Travis sighed. It seemed that one again his suspicions were correct, and luck was not on his side.

            It was only after he had spent a few more minutes anxiously searching the theater and the surrounding area, that he found himself sitting on the parking lot's curb, overwhelmed by the impossibility of it all. A million thoughts were jumbled in his head, everything that had happened to him since he had walked into that bookstore, tumbled into that other world's desert through a Japanese book—and then…and then…

            Travis began to laugh. His shoulders shook as he tightened his grip on the book's spine, feeling the reality of it, but still not wanting to believe it. He was still laughing several minutes later, when an insistent tap on his shoulder caused him to fall backwards with a jolt and nearly let the book slip from his hand. Recovering, he tilted his head back until he could see who it was that had been trying to get his attention. It was then that he really _did_ let the book fall, but he snatched it up before he scrambled to his feet.

            "Mirai! What are you doing here?" he sputtered in disbelief. 

            "Nice to see you too, Travis."

            "Oh! No, I mean… yeah, but… what time is it?" He gestured to her watch. She blinked a few times, but lifted her wrist to read the time.

            "It's 5 P.M., Trav. Don't you ever wear a watch?" She lifted an eyebrow.

            "Well…that is… sometimes, but—5?!" he fairly exploded. The expression on Mirai's face was half-way between amusement and concern—for his mental state, most likely. He didn't exactly blame her, and she hadn't even heard the story yet.

            "Yeah. 5 o' clock," she said slowly and deliberately. "As in twenty minutes since I talked to you guys on the phone about meeting me here?"

            "No, but you see, that's impossible!" Travis insisted. "I was in the book…desert…floaty place for at _least_—"

            In the next instant Mirai had closed the distance between them, standing directly in front of him with a neutral expression on her face. He blinked, and she placed her hand on his forehead. After a moment, she stepped back and crossed her arms.

            "The heat is _not_ getting to me, Mirai. I live here, remember?" Travis said. Mirai slowly nodded, but didn't seem entirely sure. Travis sighed, then remembered the book.

            "Look, I don't know _how_ an hour turned into only ten or twenty minutes—"

            "Huh?"

            "Nevermind. Somehow it just figures…anyway, this book…" Travis thrust it towards her. "This book has just made our lives…rather complicated."

            Travis then explained as best he could the events of the afternoon, leaving out only the details of his ordeal with the in-between place. Mirai listened intently, glancing between him and the book, apparently not sure what to think. He knew he must be babbling, but he felt a sense of urgency even as he realized she had to know what had happened to her friends. Finally, he finished, briefly summarizing his trip back and getting the book out of the store, etc. Taking a deep breath, he watched Mirai expectantly. 

            "Well?"

            Mirai thought for a moment before answering.

            "Yume won't be happy without her rings."

            "Without her… I get done telling you that your friends have been sucked into some Asian fairy tale and that's all you have to say?"

            "Well, what am I _supposed_ to say?" Mirai hissed. "My brain is having a hard time processing this, you know. Maybe _you're_ used to it…"

            "I'm not," said Trav. "I just pretend to be. But hey, can you or can you not read the book?"

            Mirai eyed it like it was a viper about to strike.

            "Do you think that would be safe?" she asked.

            "I'll hold the book. Or maybe we can set it down somewhere, and no one will have to touch it. Don't know if it would help, but we don't really have a choice."

            "I know," she said quietly. "I can probably read it; hopefully that way we can find out what is happening with Ari and Yume, right?"

            Travis shrugged. He had no idea what was actually written in the book; for all he knew, it could be some gibberish incantation that wouldn't make sense in_ any_ language.

            "Well…as they say, there's only one way to find out."

            *******

            "Yeah, hey Aunt Becki, there's been a slight change of plans. No… no, everyone's fine." Travis winced as he said this into Mirai's cell phone. Last he had seen Yume and Ari, they hadn't been hurt, anyway. "We're just going to stay in town a while longer. Go to dinner after the movie…"

            "And ice cream!" Mirai chimed in, leaning over Trav's shoulder to speak into the phone. Travis looked back at her and raised an eyebrow, but Mirai just nodded vigorously and mouthed 'play along'. He shrugged.

            "Yeah. Ice cream, too. Mmhmm. Well, the movie's about to start, gotta go. Okay. Bye." Travis turned the phone off and handed it back to Mirai. He hadn't exactly lied; the movie _was_ about to start. They just… wouldn't actually be watching it.  Time was something that Travis wasn't sure they had much of—after that last trip, he wasn't even so sure anymore exactly what it _meant. _

Once Mirai had put her cell phone in her bag, she started to walk towards the theater entrance. Travis started to follow, but only for a few paces before he abruptly stopped. 

            "Wait… where are you going? Did you miss the part of the plan where we _don't actually go see a movie?_"

            Mirai stopped as well, turning to face him and smiling patiently.

            "Of course, I heard that part. But at the same time, we have to keep up appearances. Your aunt is right across the parking lot at the craft store. What if she happened to look out and saw us—walking _away from the theater?"_

            Travis pondered this for a moment.

            "Ahh. Clever," he finally said.

            "Thank ya." 

            Once they had entered the main area of the theater, they found a bench and sat down. Travis noted that there were surprisingly few people there for this time of day; he would have figured it would be filled with those looking to escape into an air-conditioned environment.

            "You know, Trav," Mirai said from beside him. "We could always read the book here. There aren't very many people."

            "Don't do that."

            "Huh?"

            "Say what I'm thinking before I get a chance to say it myself."

            "Oh. I'm sorry." Mirai smirked. Travis looked at her accusingly, and then they both started laughing. _I'm glad Mirai is here, Travis thought. __It makes me feel a whole lot calmer with crazy things like this going on. His eyes fell on the book, and he shivered involuntarily. To open that again…_

            "Well, maybe not right here," he finally said. "We should probably find another part of the theater, in case it gets busier later on." Mirai nodded in agreement.

            "We should go soon, then," she said, rising from the bench. "No time to waste."

            _That's for sure…_

            *******

            They finally settled on an empty corridor that didn't eve seem to have a purpose; almost as if there was supposed to be another theater room at the end of it, but the architects had forgotten to actually build it. The opposite side of the corridor had several theater doors opening off of it, but the side Mirai and Trav had chosen only had a few small supply closets—a few lungfuls of stale, dusty air had quickly deterred them from using one of those as their reading area.

            The book set on the floor between them, the two sat staring at it for a few minutes.

            "Do you want me to open it?" Mirai said quietly.

            "No." Travis said firmly. "I'll do it." He half-expected the book to burn him or do something else to cause him more pain as his fingertips touched the cover, but it only felt like a normal book, if quiet old. _Sneaky little thing… He grabbed the edge, took a deep breath, and jerked it open._

            There was no title page, no summary of the story—even knowing no Japanese, Travis could tell that much. The page it fell open to was simple, innocent enough. One side held several long strips of Japanese characters, the other a sketchy, black ink rendering of what, apparently, was currently going on in the story. No swirling colors, just ink and paper. Travis was relieved, but suspicious. Mirai stared at the paper, wide-eyed as the truth slowly was sinking in.

            "Can you…" Trav began to ask, but Mirai had already begun.

            " 'The girl lay still' " Mirai read quietly. " 'She shivered in the dark, not knowing who had captured her.' " 

            "_What?"_ Travis growled.

            "Shh. 'She remembered being surrounded, remembered Tamahome's escape.' "

            "_Who?" _

" 'She remembered everything going black, but did not remember her arms being tied behind her back, did not remember being locked away in this dark, cold shack.' "

            " 'Said the Cat in the Hat.' "

            Mirai sighed. "It didn't rhyme in Japanese. Now, are you going to let me read or not?"

            "Okay, okay…"

            " ' But dawn was breaking, the camp was stirring, and she feared any questions she might have were about to be answered…' "

            *******

            **Ari:** Okay, that's all for now! ^_^ But before I go, have to give a shout-out to the *real* Travis! (Yeah, that's really him on the review page. Or at least, as far as I know…o_O)  He's reading the story now, and, fortunately, he likes it! *waves* Heeey, hope you like this chapter, it's from your POV... again. ^_~ Don't get too used to it, though… for the next few chapters Mirai and Travis will have short bits of them reacting to things they read about in the story, won't have parts as long as this for a while. Or maybe they will… you just never know. Read and find out, I always say. *grins* Hope you enjoy, everyone! (Hopes that she still has readers… ^_^;;) 


	6. A Bandit's Deal

Disclaimer: FY and all things associated with it belong to Yu Watase, etc. etc. you know the drill ^_^ Not making money, just writing stories for fun..

            **Ari: **I had hoped for it not to have to take this long for next chapter to go up. -_-;; But school started… college classes… and I'll be starting a job soon. *But* this story will still update. I'm not saying more slowly, or more quickly, but it will update. There are times when if I have no extra homework, I have a couple of hours to possibly work on it.. I enjoy writing it, so it's definitely not going to stop. ^_^ So it's basically the same, except that occasionally I might get really busy.. *sigh* But, that doesn't matter right now! There's a new chapter! Read, enjoy, and hopefully review if you'd like. I miss reviews. *sniffle* Where are my readers? … :P oh well. I'll still write this thing if no one reads it, but it's nice to know that people do, anyway. Um, on with the story! ^_^

            **_Modern Miko: Chapter Six_**

          It had been so quiet. Through the night—at least, when she had been conscious—Yume had had a lot of time to think. What else was there to do, anyway? Her wrists had been roughly lashed together, the rope slowly cutting into her skin even as she did her best not to struggle. Mostly, she lay curled up on the cold, hard dirt floor, alone with her thoughts.

            The emotion she felt most was frustration. She couldn't see, couldn't move, didn't know the first thing about where she was. A building of some sort, obviously, but she couldn't tell how big. She could tell by touch that the floor was hard-packed dirt, the wall directly behind her flimsy, rough, and obviously not built to last. That didn't tell her much, and this frustrated her—but strangely, at the same time, she didn't feel all that much in danger. For being captured and carried away by a group of strange men roaming the desert, tied up, and thrown in a shack, that is. She was, admittedly, a bit frightened, but not terrified. 

            After hours of silent, absolute darkness, the sun began to rise and light began to weakly stream through the slats in the walls. Yume could finally see her surroundings, but there wasn't much to see. It was a small room, and besides herself, completely empty. There didn't seem to be any obvious means of escape, and nothing to provide any additional information of her location. So she decided to wait.

            It wasn't long before several male voices could be heard nearby, too low to be understood. They were joined by many more as the morning went on, going about daily tasks, it seemed. A whiff of smoke, horses snorting and stamping—a camp was awakening.

            _The bandits…?_

            A shadow fell across Yume as a panel in the wall facing her slid open. The bright light entered, and so did Tamahome.

            Strangely, he seemed as surprised to see her as she was him—truly the professional, though, his coolly confident smirk had returned, only a little too late for Yume to have misjudged his initial reaction.

            _He isn't the leader_… Yume thought, and was strangely pleased with this conclusion. _If he were, I doubt I would have been captured without him knowing it. _

            Several shadowy forms in the doorway behind Tamahome hung back and eventually faded away as she entered the shack alone. Yume, despite her raw and battered wrists' objections, wriggled her way into a sitting position, pressing her back against the wall as stiffly as possible. This seemed to further amuse Tamahome as he stepped slowly forward. Yume eyed him with distrust, until he stopped a few feet short of where she sat.

            "Hmm," he said. "I find this situation very odd. Want to know why?"

            She glared at him, refusing to play along in any way. He proceeded to tell her anyway, of course.

            "Here you are, tied up and locked away in the dark in a camp of desert bandits…and yet, you don't use your magic to escape. Why?" He crossed his arms, eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

            Yume stared at him for a few more moments. _He truly is incredibly stupid… She took a deep breath._

            "Okay, Mr. I-think-I-know-everything. You really want to know why I haven't escaped with my so-called 'magic'? Do you?"

            "Well, that's what I—"

            "Because I'll tell you why!" Her voice rose to a frantic pitch. "Listen _very_ carefully. I…don't… have…any…freaking…magic! At all! Magic doesn't even exist! In fact, this whole _place_ doesn't exi—"

            Before she could finish that last bit of frustrated explanation, he had crossed those last few feet between them, cutting her off with a brief but deep kiss. When he pulled back with that confident, lop-sided smirk, she had nothing more to say.

            "You're speechless, I know." He winked. "Don't get any ideas, though…it doesn't mean anything."

            She gaped at him, still unable to form any coherent thought.

            "I just wanted you to shut up, really. And it worked, didn't it?" With a victorious grin, he backed out of the room, the door sliding shut after him. She heard a latch click, and footsteps retreating with the crunch of dirt.

            _He…I… if I hadn't been tied up, I would've…_ She didn't even know what she would have done. Likely her reaction would have been the same, hands free or not. She wanted to say that she would've slapped him, but it hadn't even occurred to her at the moment, as sudden and completely unexpected as it had been.

_            The freak…_

            She sighed, and wondered if anyone was going to bring her any food. Anyone _besides_ Tamahome. Then something else occurred to her—what if he was one of the _nice bandits? She shook her head, forcing herself not to think such pessimistic thoughts. No thoughts at all would be nice… she needed sleep. Wait—was that the smell of…?_

            The door slid open again to reveal a young man she judged to be around her age, carrying a tray that gave off very promising smells. He instantly looked both bewildered and horrified, his blue-green eyes wide.

            "He didn't say anything about it being a _girl!" the youth said under his breath with a tone of genuine surprise. Yume frowned; this group of bandits seemed to be very uninformed of the goings-on at their camp. Still not taking his eyes off her as if reminding himself that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he set the tray before her. It contained some kind of stew, a bit of dark bread, and a steaming bowl Yume assumed was a drink. He waited expectantly._

            Yume blinked, and then nodded pointedly towards her bound hands. He blushed with the realization, but quickly recovered as he scrambled to untie the ropes. Yume attempted to smile to ease the tension—not to mention she was relieved that he didn't expect her to eat without using her hands.

            As the ropes loosened and slipped from her wrists, he looked up at her with an embarrassed laugh.

            "Uh, sorry about that." He grinned sheepishly, nodding to her once. His light-blond hair fell over his eyes, and he brushed it away with one hand. "I'm Tasuki."

            "Yume." She rubbed at her wrists, trying to get the circulation back in them.

            "Someone is going to hear about this, that's for sure," Tasuki said after a moment, eyes flashing with determination. "I'm not the leader, but I won't let this kind of thing go on…"

            Yume, who had turned her attention to the food, looked up at him with surprise. _Is he_ really _a bandit? She lifted the drink bowl to her lips as he continued._

            "We don't have many women around here, but they should know they don't deserve to be treated like criminals. It's barbaric!" He glared past the closed door, towards the now noisy camp. Yume watched him, slightly amused by his reaction.

            "You don't feel strongly about this, do you?" she teased, picking up a piece of bread—it was hard, as she expected. She gnawed at a corner but quickly gave up, setting it down.

            "Well, I haven't been a bandit all my life, like some of them out there have. Sometimes, though, I expect more from them than maybe I should." He shook his head, and didn't say anything for a while. Yume sat there, not sure what to say but wondering what his story was. Just as the silence was starting to be awkward, he rose from his crouching position and turned back towards her with a smile.

            "Well, finish your food. We have some business to attend to."

            *******

            Tasuki led her quickly through the camp, pulling her behind him by the arm, though he was careful not to irritate the part that had been rubbed raw by the bindings. Yume didn't see much as her eyes adjusted to the light; just blurs of men talking and laughing by the cookfires, more blurs tending to the horses, and several tents in all directions from where she could hear many more voices. Tasuki didn't give her time to dwell on any one object, so she stumbled along after him, frantically trying to keep up with his pace but often only barely catching herself before she tripped over her own feet and collided with his back.

            Barely, that is, until they actually stopped.

            "Oof," they both said.

            "Guess I should have warned you," said Tasuki. "We're here."

            _Here_ was a tent at least twice as large as any of the others Yume saw in the camp. A red banner hung motionlessly at the entrance, depicting a silver hawk swooping down on unseen prey. Beneath this were characters that said 'Ruzoku's Desert Hunters'. As soon as she had worked this out, Tasuki was pulling back the flap and ushering her inside.

            "Don't say a word, unless you're asked to. And don't look Ruzoku in the eye," he whispered to her urgently. She nodded. He placed a hand on her shoulder. _It will be okay_, he seemed to be saying. He followed her inside, once again taking her by the arm. She now walked beside him, however, rather than trailing after him.

            There were several other men in the tent, Tamahome among them, all arrange around an intimidating man who stood a bit apart from them. Some of them were speaking in low tones to him, but he only nodded occasionally, fingering his braided beard. He was dressed in clothing far finer than most of them, who wore single colored tunics and pants—not new, but not ragged, either. Ruzoku wore a robe in the colors of the banner, a white shirt that seemed to be silk, and black boots and pants. The thieving business had been good to him.

            Ruzoku barely took notice when Tasuki marched up to him with Yume. Surprisingly, neither did Tamahome. They both stood there, listening to the complaints of one of the other bandits, but not saying a word. Finally, Ruzoku whispered something to a man standing beside him, who nodded and proceeded to escort the loudly protesting bandit out of the tent.

            Tasuki took the opportunity to clear his throat.

            "Ruzoku. Sir," he said. Ruzoku turned towards them, and Yume quickly ducked her head.

            "Why was this young woman bound like a prisoner in the shack on the edge of camp?" Tasuki had his fists clenched, but was obviously trying to keep his anger under control.

            "She is a prisoner," Ruzoku simply said, shrugging his broad shoulders.

            "On what grounds? Sir." Ruzoku raised an eyebrow at this belated addition.

            "She was trespassing on Hunter land."

            Tasuki frowned. "But, she couldn't have known—" He abruptly stopped, glancing over at Tamahome. If he saw the look, he didn't acknowledge it.

            "I still don't approve of her treatment," Tasuki said quietly.

            "I do not seek your approval, young one." Ruzoku smirked. Tasuki began to see he was in a losing battle. He clenched his teeth.

            "Can she at least have freedom of movement? If the door is locked, you know there is no way for her to escape!"

            "She's a witch. She'll just use her magic."

            It was the first thing Tamahome had said since they had entered the tent. He still wouldn't look at her.

            Tasuki whirled on him, letting go of Yume's arm. Something unspoken passed between the two, and Tamahome reluctantly nodded.

            "Ruzoku, with your permission I humbly request that I speak with Tamahome for a moment," said Tasuki. Ruzoku subtly inclined his head, and the two retreated to an empty corner of the tent. It was then that Yume truly saw Tamahome.

            In absence of his discarded strip of leather, he had a red cloth tied across his forehead and underneath his hair. Most surprising, though, was his clothing. He wore a black tunic with red detail, carefully folded and not nearly as worn as the clothing he had been wearing when they had met. His black pants and boots weren't quite as fine as Ruzoku's, and he wore no silk, but he was obviously of some importance.

            Yume shifted uncomfortably, keeping her eyes on the two and away from Ruzoku.

            "A witch, eh?" he was muttering. "What shall we do with you?" Yume shuddered, and hoped they would come back soon. A few more minutes passed in silence, before Tasuki and Tamahome returned to her side. Tamahome's expression was very different, not so neutral but more resigned. She wondered  what Tasuki had said.

            Ruzoku waited and fingered his beard, eyes flicking from one man to another. Tamahome finally spoke, his expression changed once more. Yume didn't like it.

            "I'll take care of her," he said to Ruzoku with a confident smile. The bandit leader raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

            "Then she will be your responsibility." Ruzoku let the words sit there for a while, seemingly sealing her fate. Yume looked at Tasuki questioningly, but he just met her eye calmly.

            "She will stay in the shack one more night," Ruzoku continued. "Then she will be released to you." Tasuki seemed to stiffen at this unexpected addition of terms, but he quickly relaxed.

            "I am satisfied with that," he finally said.

            _What?!_

            With that, they seemed to be dismissed, so Tasuki once again took Yume by the arm and led her from Ruzoku's tent. Tamahome stayed behind.

            They passed through the camp only a little more slowly than they had on the way to confront the leader. Many of the men seemed to have already left camp on various tasks; several of the horses were missing. Only a few bandits bothered to look up and casually greet Tasuki as he went by.

            Tasuki seemed to apologize to her with his eyes as they arrived back at the run-down shack. He had done his best, Yume knew, although she was still quite puzzled by the events at Ruzoku's tent. What kind of deal had he made? Was she making a mistake, putting her trust in a bandit, nice as he seemed?

            She sat back down on the dirt floor, hugging her knees.

            "Are you afraid?" Tasuki suddenly said, crouching beside her. She just looked at him. 

            "Maybe," she mumbled. "Why shouldn't I be? You just handed me over to _Tamahome_, of all people. I don't trust him…"

            Tasuki frowned. "He's just trying to help, you know. You should be grateful."

            "How? Why?"

            Tasuki scooted closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "He's protecting you."

            If Yume hadn't been so confused, she would have laughed.

            "I still don't understand. Why can't _you protect me, then?"_

            He paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out the best way to explain. "Well, I don't have the authorization or rank to do that… and… besides…" He flushed, looking away.

            "Besides… I'm not considered old enough by the other bandits… for it to be considered… normal… for me to have a girl with me, at all times…" He blushed harder.

            Yume blanched. "You mean… they'll think…" He nodded.

            "But—!"

            "Listen to me, Yume. Do you want to not be touched, or not? You can trust Tamahome completely, I swear it.  I've known him for many years. You will _not come to harm." He met her eyes now, earnestly._

            She nodded, still in shock. What other choice did she have? He had a point. But, _Tamahome?_

            "You look tired. I'll be right back." Tasuki left the shack and returned after a moment with a blanket, scratchy but more comfortable than the hard, dirt ground.

            Yume didn't argue. She felt as if she could sleep for days. Covering a yawn, she thanked Tasuki and settled against the wall.

            "Remember, I promise you'll be safe," Tasuki said with a smile. "Sleep well, Yume. May Suzaku be with you."

            Yume smiled back weakly, even though she didn't really understand that last bit. Even with all the thoughts spinning around her mind, it was not long before she fell into a deep sleep.

            *******

            **Ari:** Yeah, that was an unusually long chapter, I know. ^_^;; Hope no one minded, but I was on a roll when I was writing it. *laughs* I was thinking about putting a 'Curious Playing Around' in this chapter, but it mostly consisted of Tasuki 'randomly' disappearing and ending up in Byakko land.. ^_~ But Yume'd kill me. *sweatdrop* Heheheh… We both really like this version of Tasuki. Mine! Mine I say! Err.. *coughs* I'm interested what anyone reading this thinks about the Modern Miko Tasuki. ^_^ Better? Worse? Just.. different? The original Tasuki just has no equal… but we're rather attached to this one, too. Okay, that's all for this chapter of MM! Be sure to leave any comments, questions, etc. in the reviews, or e-mail me, I don't mind! :P Yeah..


	7. Shelter and Suspicion

            Disclaimer: Yeah, I know, it's been a while, but I unfortunately did not get the rights to FY in that time. :P (Note the sarcasm, people-who-think-it-might-be-fun-to-try-to-sue-me.) FY is owned by Yu Watase, but all original plot ideas and characters are mine, and Yume's, and Mirai's.

            **Ari**: Gomen,gomen,gomen. -_- And for those that read this and don't know any Japanese—sorry, sorry, sorry! I have had like no time the last month or so, technically I still don't, I have political science term papers to work on and history tests to study for… but I love writing this story and do it in the spare time I *do* have. I mean, honestly, if I could write this story all the time, I would. But here's how it breaks down: I'm a full time student. I have a part-time job. Where does that leave writing? Unfortunately, as a hobby, as much as I love it. During my break, I hope to write many chapters in a more timely fashion. Please be patient in the meantime, it is not laziness or any such thing. Okay.. with that out of the way… enjoy the latest chapter! And if you didn't see it update last time, don't forget to read the other chapters! 

            This one is a little long. (I can hear you all now—_It'd better be.. :P—Heh.) Hope you like it! Lots of _foreshadowing, _so pay attention. ;)_

            **_Modern Miko: Chapter Seven_**

            Ari weaved her way through the trees, wondering what she would find when she reached the end of them. She had left the sleeping Tatara behind to fend for himself, and felt very little guilt about it—besides, it didn't seem like a dangerous place. Parting some drooping branches that promised light and open space beyond them, her breath caught.

            She stood at the crest of a gently sloping hill, a small village sprawled at the foot of it. If where she was standing was north, then south was a range of towering mountains, capped with snow even in the middle of summer. At east and west, a valley sheltered the village. Smoke was gently curling from several thatched roofs, and Ari found herself walking down the hill before she realized it, powerfully drawn to the tranquil scene.

            "Beautiful," she murmured, and then jumped five feet into the air.

            "RRRrrr…" said the noise, and she slowly turned to face what was either a wolf or a _very_ large dog, teeth bared and snarling loud enough to be mistaken for some kind of engine. Easily. Except that engines generally didn't have a mouthful of sharp, shiny white teeth.

            Backing away as non-aggressively and non-preylike as she could, she tried to talk to the canine in soothing tones— 'nice doggie', and all that. It barked. Loudly, and repeatedly.

            _Oh, great, I'm gonna die, and the only person that could help me in time is sleeping soundly under the willow trees._

            She continued to cautiously step backward, the anime noisily creeping closer—and backed into a tree.

            _This is it. I'm so sorry, Yume…_

            That was when she heard laughter, and it came from above her.

            "Sabaris! Here!" The dog/wolf swung its head from side to side with a puzzled expression. Then it looked up, and began to pant. Ari slumped against the tree, closing her eyes momentarily before she also looked up.

            A little boy straddled a low branch, and he was grinning impishly. He had a mop of brown hair, and ill-fitting clothes—when he noticed Ari staring, he started laughing again, and hopped down from the branch.

            "You're such a silly girl," he said, and Ari thought at first that he meant her. Saying this, he threw an arm around the animal's neck and let it wash his face vigorously. He stood again, pointing his finger at Sabaris.

            "You shouldn't be so jealous. She didn't mean any harm, coming down here. Look, you've scared her." Sabaris blinked at Ari, looking almost abashed. The boy turned back to Ari, nodding to her and still grinning.

            "I'm Yuriki, but you can call me just Riki."

            "I'm Ari.. um.. nice to meet you."

            He nodded again, and then gestured towards Sabaris, who was now sitting and regarding them solemnly, though her tail slowly thumped the ground.

            "You've met Sabaris, of course." He laughed a little. "Forgive her though—she's part wolf, and can't always ignore her instincts to protect." Sabaris seemed to grin at this, and Ari shook her head.

            _Well, as long as the animals don't start_ talking_, then I'm okay._

            "Yu-ri-kiiii!" called out a shrill female voice from further down the hill. The boy ducked his head and winced. Upon hearing the voice, Sabaris began to lope towards the village, tossing her head back once as if to say, 'Well, aren't you going to follow me?' Riki met Ari's eye, shrugged, and then trotted after the wolf-dog. Ari soon followed, picking her way down the hill-side.

            Riki and Sabaris had disappeared from sight once Ari was among the clump of rustic looking houses, but they were not that difficult to find. There was only one road, and likely not much more than two dozen houses and a scattering of other buildings spread across the valley. But even the relatively small area to search in was not what made them so simple to find.

            You could probably hear that lady's voice from clear on the other side of town.

            "What have I told you about wandering outside of the valley, Yuriki?!"

            "But, mother, Sabaris—"

            "Wasn't even with you! She was out hunting, or who knows what.."

            "I was only over by the hill at the end of the valley—anyway, Sabaris was just standing guard and scaring a girl with weird clothing, I could see her the whole time from my tree."

            Ari heard the mother pause from where she stood outside the door, listening but not sure if she should interrupt just yet.

            "There was a girl?" Suddenly she was not so loud, and Ari had to strain her ears to hear their conversation.

            "Yup. A teen with funny clothes. Pants that are blue and a weird fabric, and a king of shirt, but it didn't have sleeves.."

            "That's.. an interesting story, Riki."

            "Mother.. I'm ten, not _stupid." Ari could almost hear the eye-roll. "I'm not makin' it up. You _know_ that."_

            _I guess this is my cue…_

            Sliding the door open, Ari stepped into a smallish room with several doors leading off of it. Riki and his mother spun to face her, and the woman's hand flew to her throat.

            "Toldyou…" Riki whispered, but his mother wasn't listening.

            "I…um…" Ari looked around the room helplessly, and realized she had no idea where to begin. _Hi, I'm from another time and place. I got transported here by a book, which you're a character in. Yeah, that would be just great._

            "Sit," said the woman, while Ari was still in her internal reverie. They sat cross-legged on embroidered cushions, around a low, white rectangular table. "Would you like some tea?"

            Ari had to admit that something tangible and familiar like tea sounded pretty comforting right now. She sipped at green tea from a delicate white cup, while Riki's mother stared. Setting the cup down finally with a barely audible _clink_, Ari smiled.

            "No, I'm not from around here."

            Riki's mother laughed nervously. Her brown eyes were wide with—what. Fear? Suspicion? Surprise? It was hard to tell. Ari wished she could put her at ease, but had to admit that in this kind of culture, her appearance must be rather startling.

            "Then where _are_ you from?" Riki piped up. His mother shot him a look, and he scowled back before returning his attention to Ari. "From a foreign land, far away?"

            Ari hesitated. "Yes. Far away."

            "Far, far away?"

            _You have no idea…_

            "Mm-hmm." Ari traced the edge of her cup with her finger. The mother remained silent. Minutes passed.

            "Is.. there any way that we can help you?" She said when the silence had become nearly unbearable. Riki nodded, with far more enthusiasm than his mother. Ari once again hesitated—but it had to be said, eventually.

            "I'm looking for my friend, and her cousin." She cleared her throat. "See, well…we were all in the desert, and—"

            The woman's brow furrowed. "The desert? When?"

            Ari sighed. "Yesterday." Riki's eyes where as big as the teacup's saucer. His mother seemed understandably surprised, but then nodded slowly. "Continue," she said.

            Ari recounted all of the events that had happened, leading up to her encounter with Sabaris. She strategically left out any references to 'books', however, and didn't try to explain where she and her friends had originally come from.

            "Disappeared? Into the air, out of existence?" The mother's eyes narrowed. "What magic is this?"

            "I…I don't know. I don't think it was _any kind of magic, really. It's a mystery to myself, as well." Ari sighed._

            "I know someone real good at solving mysteries, Ari!" Riki said, leaning across the table with excitement.

            "Hush, child." There was no mistaking it now—what would best describe Yuriki's mother was _afraid_. She touched his shoulder, but he wrenched away.

            "No! You're just scared of 'er, because she reminds you… reminds you…" Riki trailed off, seeing the pained look in his mother's eyes. Were those tears forming? Ari wished she knew what was going on.

            "We can help her! _He_ can, mother. If anyone can find her friends, it's Naihu." Riki got a determined look on his face.

            "Naihu…" his mother whispered. She blinked, and seemed to shake away whatever had been afflicting her. She ran a hand through her long black hair and smiled a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.

            "You are difference. You, I think might be trusted. Yes. My other son, Naihu, can help you, I am sure. He has…a natural ability of finding people. And judging character." Suddenly she seemed very old. Riki patted her arm. Ari was still confused, but felt that she might finally be getting somewhere.

            "But first," the woman continued. "I was about to prepare the evening meal. You must stay tonight. Eat with us. Tomorrow you can go to the city to meet with Naihu.."

            Ari and Riki nodded simultaneously. His mother seemed resigned, but a little less fearful.

            _There must be more going on here than it seems. I wish I knew what. She seems so.. broken._

*******

Eating rice with chopsticks that evening with the family, Ari had time to really think about her situation. She wondered how Yume was doing, and what had happened to Travis. Also, was her family worried about her? And.. they were supposed to meet Mirai to go to the movies that afternoon. She had forgotten about that…

_How can I just sit here like this, when I shouldn't even be here! I've got to find my friends.. get back.. somehow._

"Are you alright?" Riki's mother looked up at her from her own bowl of rice. She looked worried, if apprehensive. Ari took a deep breath and let it out, setting her chopsticks on the low table.

"I'm… just tired, I guess." She tried to smile, but her head was starting to hurt, and her stomach twist up with anxiety. There were so many things to worry about, and she didn't even know where to begin. Even though she had slept peacefully after she had appeared beneath the trees, she really did feel drowsy now. Riki stood, breaking the silence and the tension.

"I can set up Naihu's room for you!" His mother opened her mouth as if to protest, but just nodded, so she darted off to another part of the house. Ari shook her head, laughing a bit. She was glad for his innocent enthusiasm; she wasn't sure she could handle the company of just his mother for very long. The woman was staring off into space, her mouth twitching subtly.

"It will rain soon," she said after a long and uncomfortable period of silence. "It is in the air—a strong storm."

"Well…I am glad for the shelter, then," Ari said quietly. The woman's eyes darted towards hers, at first with a hint of suspicion, but they quickly softened.

"Forgive me.." she murmured. "If you could only understand—"

A roll of thunder erased whatever she had been planning to say. Riki ran back into the central room, staring at the ceiling as the rain drummed against the roof—one of the few in town that was not made of thatch.

"Good thing it was patched up last season, right, mother?"

There was a pause, and the vacant look returned to her eyes. "A good thing, yes, Riki." Abruptly, she stood from her cushion, smoothing her skirt before she left the room, door sliding behind her. Riki stared after her, an uncharacteristic frown on his face. He turned to Ari, shrugging small shoulders.

"My father patched up the roof," he said, as if that would explain everything. "I guess I didn't think about that, when I said it."

            "Your…father…"

            "Yep." He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he did not, only looked back at where his mother had left. After a few minutes he followed, and Ari was alone inside the central room. The rain fell harder, and the wind outside howled through the trees. When it seemed that it was just her for a while, she tucked her legs up to her chin, shivering in the slight chill of the room. Minutes passed, and she became increasingly drowsy, her chin atop her knees and her eyes slowly drooping closed. Then she heard that now familiar sound.

            Sabaris growling.

            It wasn't an engine this time, but closer to the cautionary growl of your average domesticated canine. Ari's eyes snapped open, and she saw the wolf-dog, still curled up in the corner of the room, snarling deep in her throat and nose twitching. She didn't know what made her stand, crossing the small room as Sabaris leapt up to accompany her, fur still bristling but now silent. Riki and his mother remained wherever it was they had retreated to—she figured it would be best to let them be. As she neared the front sliding-screen door, she could see through it in brief lightning flashes a dark silhouette. 

            _Aren't you forgetting all those childhood 'Don't open the door to strangers' lectures?_ She chided herself. She stood before it, hesitating, when the decision was made for her.

            It burst open.

            "Next time, don't hesitate to wake me up," growled Tatara, soaked to the skin and covered with grass and leaves. His long brown hair was plastered to his face and neck, and was so bedraggledly comical that Ari couldn't help but laugh.

            "I don't see what you could find so funny about this." His jade eyes narrowed as he sauntered, dripping, into the room. "I woke up in the middle of a strange forest, rain splashing in my face and a rock in my hand. No, not funny at all."

            Ari sobered, whirling to face him. Sabaris had not let him go out of her view, and seemed to be waiting for one twitch, one wrong move. "You took what didn't belong to you," Ari said, summoning up her courage. He gave her an "oh-give-me-a-break" look.

            "Okay, I know you're a bandit, but…still.." she clutched at the ring where it now hung around her own neck. He blinked at her.

            "Ah, forget it," he muttered. "I make a rule not to ever try to steal the same thing twice, anyway."

            Ari suddenly felt very guilty about leaving Tatara out in the forest—she would feel worse if he caught pneumonia or something because of it. She supposed it wasn't entirely her fault, as she was alone and unsure if she would have attacked her, though.

            "Um," she said. "Maybe I should go find Riki and his mother...they're the ones that live here…they can get you some dry clothes, maybe. She has another son that moved out."

            He nodded. Leaving Sabaris to guard him—_doubtful she would have left his side, even if I had wanted_ her to leave_—Ari went in search of the family._

            "Riki? Yuriki?" she called down the small corridor off the main room. _This is a small house by _my_ standards.. but in a place that seems like ancient __China__, they must have been quite affluent. _

            Taking a breath, she opened one of the doors. Yuriki's mother looked up, her eyes red from crying. Riki smiled at Ari feebly and waved. It was, apparently, the mother's bedroom.

            "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…" Ari shifted uncomfortably. "Someone just arrived… from the storm. A young man… I… kind of know him." The two rose from where they sat on the bed and followed her to the main room.

            Here, Riki's mother's maternal instincts seemed to kick in. _Why for him, and not for me?_ She ushered him quickly to another room, exclaiming when she saw him and carrying on about how cold he must be, and why wasn't he wearing warmer clothing, and that he must come take a hot bath to get rid of the chill in his bones. It was a puzzling transformation.

            Meanwhile, Riki led her to her own room, the one that had previously been Naihu's. It was quite bland, Riki's brother obviously not leaving much behind. A simple bed, a chair, a small writing table. There was a tapestry on the wall of an epic battle, the only point of interest in the room. Ari studied it as she prepared for sleep, but couldn't quite figure it out. It depicted many soldiers in old Chinese armor, and it was obvious in the picture who was supposed to be 'good', and who were 'bad.'  The bad ones all had angry, warrior looks on their faces; the good ones, serene and heroic. It was simple as that. The puzzling part came with the central clash—a man wielding a bright blue sword, cold, scheming malevolence on his face, crossing swords with another man that could only be called 'beautiful.' The man's sword was red, face peaceful but infinitely sad. They were locked in eternal struggle, but for what? It was intriguing, to say the least.

            The flowing text running along the bottom read, "_In memoriam—Emperor Saihitei of Konan." _

_Interesting…_

Ari turned to her bed, welcoming the idea of sleep.

*******

A noise awoke her. _It can't be morning yet…_ She felt she had hardly slept at all. Still, there was now a persistent knocking at her door, and she felt an obligation to answer it. _Probably Riki… such an energetic kid._ She yawned, sliding the door open.

Tatara stood there, a solemn look on his face, not angry, but resolved. He was cleaned up quite nicely, dressed in what were assumedly Naihu's clothes. He _almost looked respectable—but there was still the hair…_

"What—" He cut her off.

"We need to talk… priestess of Byakko."

*******

**Ari: Oooh, ah, plot, foreshadowing. ^_~ We now depart from the Ari thread of plot, and return to Yume. *everyone cheers* Y'all are so mean. :P (I just said y'all. *blinks* I never say y'all. I need sleep. -_-) No, I like all the parts of the story, personally! Mirai and Trav, Yume, Ari… I am not biased towards my own character. :P Oh, but I love Riki. ^_^ He is so.. I dunno.. he's fun. **

If anyone is wondering (FY fans) why I said 'priestess of Byakko', which is the dub translation, rather than "Byakko no Miko".. well, for one thing, the phrase would be meaningless for some of my readers who don't know much about FY or Japanese. I think it fits quite well, though I might make references to 'miko' now and then, just so ya know. I really do prefer the sub, and words like 'miko' and 'seishi', but I am trying to think of my audience. So, tune in next time for the next MM installment! Hope ya liked it, and sorry once again for the wait. School.. *sigh* Having to write bits of MM right before history class is no fun. :P


	8. Not To Be Trusted

                Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi was created and is owned by Yu Watase, and not Ari. Or Yume. Or Mirai.. or even Trav. We write this fan fiction story for fun and adapt it to our own story and characters. ^_^

**Yume:** Wow. It's been forever since we last updated *bows* Gomenasai. Ari-chan and I are oh so busy. What with college... and work... and sleep... and sleep.. and more college...and sleep... and studying...and did I mention sleep? Anyway. New chapter. Pretty chapter! Hope you enjoy and all that fun stuff. And I'll  bother our lovely little author into getting the next chapter to you by late April... or else I shall... er...tickle her or somethin. ;-)

            **Ari: **Well, hello all you readers out there! After months of waiting, it's new chapter time! (Mr. Anonymous, are you still with us? :P) I know.. my life has been.. busy.. crazy..er..I guess I've been a little laz—look! Over there! It's a Goa'uld..yeah..a Goa'uld ship chasing the Bebop! *ducks and quietly slips away* ;)

            (I have now either thoroughly confused people or made them laugh. But, without further ado, MM chapter 8. :D)

            **_Modern Miko: Chapter Eight_**

            Deserts are unique and puzzling places. What is an oven during the day, a blurry haze of sand that reflects the light and is painful to the touch, at nightfall becomes a frigid environment—a case of extremes. Listening to the far-off cries of animals only now waking, Yume wondered how long it had been. Surely, there were many at home now quite worried about her. What if the police were involved? She could see the headline now, **_Teens Abducted in Visalia Shopping Center_**_._

            _Or maybe they think I ran away…well, I always did want to get away for a while, to a fantasy world like this. No school, no parents… I even got captured, I should be happy! The adventure I've always wanted, right? But…who knew it would be so painful, or lonely.._

            Yume was now wide awake. She had slept most of the day, but awoke just as the sun was beginning to set. The air had a growing chill to it, and the lights of the campfires flickered on the walls of the shack. She was once again left to the thoughts swirling in her mind, watching the flickers, the shadows dancing. It was…mesmerizing. She yawned, and shivered.

            It was not long after this that she heard footsteps approaching. Tasuki? Tamahome? _Oh, please, not him. Or Ruzoku._ On her guard, she wished not for the first time that she had some kind of weapon, or even the magic that Tamahome had repeatedly accused her of. Though she was not entirely defenseless—she had had a fairly significant amount of karate lessons—it would do no good to successfully fight one bandit, only to alert the entire camp.

            As the door was swiftly unlocked, Yume was relieved to see Tasuki step through and enter the shack. He was carrying another blanket, and smiled at her.

            "I hope you slept well. You seem rested." She nodded. "Good. I brought this for you." He crossed the room, draping the blanket over her shoulders. Yume tugged it forward, wrapping it around her more tightly.

            "Thanks. I'm glad it seems you have plenty of these around—" She paused, taking in his appearance. He was now wearing a somewhat ragged-looking jacket made from a rough material similar to that of the blanket. It was several sizes too large for him. "Wait a minute. This isn't _your_ blanket, is it?"

            Tasuki looked startled at first, but he smiled warmly. "I'll be fine. I've gone without before. Really. It's no problem."

            "Tasuki…"

            "It's the least I could do," he said firmly. "Please, take it." She sighed—it seemed there was no arguing with him once his mind was made up.

            "Anyway," he continued. "Tamahome will come to fetch you at dawn."

            _…Tamahome…_ Yume's conflicting feelings over the deal made in Ruzoku's tent had only intensified the more her mind dwelled on it. He had _kissed_ her! She had been defenseless, and the man kissed her for no better reason then for her to stop yelling at him. He had accused her of witchcraft, stolen and lost her treasured ring. Now she was supposed to trust him on the word of another complete stranger, as nice as he was. She just was not sure…

            "You will soon understand." Yume looked up, and her eyes met Tasuki's. His words hung in the air as she searched his face, seeing there a look that she could not quite place. As if he wanted to tell her something, but knew that he must wait.

            "I certainly hope so," she muttered.

            "You will. I…must go." Nodding to her, he left the shack, latch set in place. _He probably wasn't supposed to visit me in the first place…_Yume shook her head, adjusting her blankets and settling in a sitting position against the wall for another sleepless night.

            *******

            Of course, it wasn't as if she had _wanted_ to go. But, struggling would do her no good, she had to cooperate if she ever wanted to find her friends and get home again. No matter how disgusted she was with a certain blue-haired bandit. Even if he _did_ drag her out of the shack by her injured wrist, parade her throughout the camp like some kind of prize, and then dump her unceremoniously on a pallet in his spacious tent.

            These were the things Yume kept telling herself, anyway. This was Tasuki's _friend_? Inwardly, she seethed as she watched him lounge on his own pallet across the room. Propped up on one elbow, he stared off into space with that infuriating smirk.

            _Where the heck do I go from here?_ The waiting was beginning to drive her crazy. She hoped that Tasuki was right, that it would start making sense soon. As it was, she felt like a member of some kind of one-person harem. 

            "Come here." 

            Yume's head jerked at the unexpected break in the silence. Tamahome said it quietly, still not moving from the position in which he was lying, but it was a command and not a request.

            "…Why?..." _Tasuki…if you are wrong…_

            Tamahome gave her an amused look. "You really don't know anything, do you? Just come. Don't force me to go to you." He sighed, beginning to get up.

            _Trust him.No.Yes.Why?He's…_

"No!" Yume scrambled into a sitting position, cringing as Tamahome crossed the room. He sank to his knees in front of her and took her hands, keeping a firm yet not painful grip as she tried to tug them away from him. As she met his eyes with uncertainty, he reached into his coat and withdrew a small vial. He shook his head and muttered to himself as he removed the lid. Yume coughed at the odor.

            "Doesn't smell very good, does it?" Tamahome said as he dipped two of his fingers into a green, paste-like substance. "You really _are_ incredibly silly." He lowered his hand to Yume's wrist, and proceeded to apply the paste. It had an instant cooling effect.

            "Oh." Yume relaxed her hands, and allowed him to repeat with the opposite wrist.

            "It should speed the healing…" he said in a low, quiet way she was almost not sure she had heard. He finished spreading the paste, and released her hands.

            "Um...thanks. I.." She looked away, somewhat embarrassed by her assumption. "Sorry," she whispered.

            "Hm. It's nothing." His confident self had returned. "One injured person slows down the whole group, isn't that right?" He winked, returning to the other side of the tent.

            _Well, at least he isn't entirely heartless after all. Rather confusing…_ She sat for a while in silence. Her wrists did already feel a little better.

            "Tamahome…"

            "Hmm?"

            "Do you… _really_ think I'm a witch?" she blurted out, swallowing as he looked over at her. A stony, unreadable mask had come over his face.

            "I just want to know," he said after a moment, slowly and deliberately. "What happened to Tatara?"

            "Tatara? Well, what happened to Trav and Ari?"

            "You tell me."

            "…I'm not a witch."

            "Suit yourself." Tamahome rolled over on his pallet, facing the wall. Yume felt like screaming in frustration. Her opinion of him once again dropped a few points. She _had_ to get out of there, find somewhere more useful for her search.

            "Are we just going to lounge around the tent all day?" Yume asked. She was tired of all this inaction. Every minute wasted was her cousin and friend stuck who knows where, and her unable to find them. Sitting in the shack for a  day and two nights, and now wasting time sitting in Tamahome's tent? She would not stand for it.

            "Of course not," said Tamahome. "This is the hottest time of the day in the desert, so everyone stays inside. Enjoy it while it lasts." He still had his back turned, but didn't sound angry.

            _I hate it when he makes sense…_

            Tamahome chuckled, as if he could hear her thoughts. As Yume began to wonder if the bandits just stayed in their tents from morning til late afternoon, Tamahome finally began to rise, stretching out his arms.

            "Well, it's time now," he muttered, glancing over at her. "But first…" Tamahome disappeared through a flap separating the main room of the tent from a smaller one. Yume could hear sounds of him rummaging around for something. Now _what_?

            When he reappeared a few minutes later, looped around his arms was a garment of some sort, made from a glossy and somewhat thin material. He dropped the purple and orange-detailed ensemble over her head.

            "Wear this." Yume shook it off, taking it in her hands and spreading it out so she could get a better look at it._ Maybe my harem idea wasn't so far off after all…_ It was somewhat like a cross between a kimono and a genie costume; a little revealing, but not obscene. 

            Yume glared at him. "What's wrong with what I've got on?" Tamahome raised an eyebrow, and she immediately regretted saying it. In this place, her outfit was more than unusual. A dark-purple tank top with detachable long sleeves, a black pleated knee-length skirt, net stockings, and black shoes. Yeah.. might be seen as just a little odd.

            She sighed, looking away. "Nevermind…"

            "Mmhmm. That's what I thought. So, you need to change now. We haven't got all day." Tamahome crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the tent floor.

            "Tamahome..?"

            "Hm? What's the matter, not your color?"

            "…you need to leave…"

            Tamahome's foot paused mid-tap. A strange expression came over his face, but soon smoothed. 

            "Oh. Fine. You can change in that room over there, I guess." He gestured towards the room he had brought the outfit from. "I'll be just outside, getting some food. Be quick with it."

            Yume picked at the material. "Sure. Don't forget to get me food too, though." She looked at him sternly. He just blinked at her, before turning towards the tent's entrance and leaving without a word.

            _That jerk…he'd better not really be that selfish, I'm starving…_

            Scrunching up the outfit in one hand, Yume stalked off to the other room. The room was small, partitioned off by flaps of fabric on two sides. The other sides were the corners of the main tent itself. Stashed all along the "walls" were chests, baskets, and containers of all kinds. _His loot pile?_ A look inside the containers revealed mostly expected things—jewelry, fine clothing, various plates and goblets. A few, mostly jars and vials and a few scrolls, Yume could not identify. _Maybe they have to do with healing… like the salve for my wrists._ Anyway, as fascinating as it was, Yume had to figure out what to do now that she was out of Tamahome's sight.

            _What _should_ I do? Ack._ Yume looked at the outfit again. _If I leave here, I'll want to blend in. But this thing…maybe if I just put on over my own clothing…_

Slipping the silken garment over her head, she tugged it down over her clothing. Her tank poked out at the top, but she figured it would work well enough…even make it more modest. 

_Take_ that_, Tamahome._

Here was where she was stumped. Literally backed into a corner. The bandit would be back any minute now, and she hadn't devised any plan to eliminate his presence. Even in her slightly more elevated status, she still felt like a prisoner. _I'm sorry, Tasuki. Your word is not enough._

A loud snort nearby startled her and brought her back to 'reality.' Kneeling, she lifted the edge of the tent where it met the ground. She couldn't see very far, as the tent was pinned down fairly regularly by wooden stakes, but she did see a hoof nervously pawing the ground.

Praying that the tent would not collapse around her, she tugged at one of the stakes, and her heard plummeted when it would not give. She supposed there must be something in the room that she could use.. this world was not likely to have any crowbars. Digging through the loot piles, she decided upon using a small golden disc as a lever. Placing the edge under the round head of a stake, she pushed upwards with all her strength…and watched the disc snap in half.

            _Not even real gold…poor guy. Or at least, this one isn't._

When she finally found something of actual metal, she frantically pulled up the two nearest stakes and scurried underneath. Narrowly missing the horse's dancing feet.

            "Sorry…shhh…" Rising, she backed up against the outer wall of the tent. The dun-colored horse eyed her wildly, but didn't flinch as she slowly rested one hand on its neck.

            Now_ what?_ Yume looked over her shoulder, towards the camp. Ruzoku was talking to a fairly large group of the men, she could tell that much. Tamahome, however, was nowhere in sight. But neither was whoever usually rode the dun.

            Yume looked back at the horse. And saw her escape route.

            *******

**Ari:** Okay, I'm back. What? You say you didn't see any Goa'uld ship? Wellll…er. *sweatdrop* ^_^;; Anyway. I can't make any promises about when the next chapter will be up, what with another Japanese exchange student coming at the end of next week, but I'll do my best. I think I will have more people bugging me about it this time anyway.. ha. (Wish I knew where all my girl readers went. :P Not that I mind mostly guys reading it but it makes me wonder what happened.. lol.)

By the way. Am I using 'thoughts' too much in this story? I feel like I use it an awful lot.. lol. Doesn't really bother me too much but I am hoping it doesn't bother other people.. You know, where Yume starts wondering what she should do, or if she should trust Tamahome and all that. I _could_ just say something like "She wasn't sure she could trust Tamahome." Instead of _Can I trust Tamahome?._ I just naturally use the thoughts, I'm not sure why. :D

Well, til next time!


	9. Equine Flight

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi was certainly not created by me or any of my friends. It belongs to Yu Watase. Still. :P We are just having fun going off of her ideas for our own amusement, and maybe for the amusement of others. No money is being made from this story.

**Ari:** Well, hello, all you Modern Miko readers! waves hand in Jedi Mind Trick It has _not_ been a long time since I have updated. It has _not_… what? It didn't work? Err.. ;; Well, it has been very stressful, what with job and school and finals and vacation…which I actually did get a lot of MM writing done on, so there. :P I will, as always, try to keep up with updating this story, and I promise I won't abandon it any time soon, like a lot of stories I know that rarely update and just fade away. I still really like this story, hopefully there are still people out there that do as well.. oh well. Here is the next extra-long installment of Modern Miko. (Hey, don't complain, it's not as long as some book chapters. :P It's just uh… long for fanfiction. You'll survive, I think it's worth it.)

**_Modern Miko: Chapter Nine_**

"But…Yume can't ride a horse!" Trav sputtered, turning to Mirai with a puzzled expression. (A/N: If you can identify this movie reference and how it is related to FY, then… good for you .) Mirai only shrugged, but looked just as confused. It was still so unbelievable that as they read this, their friends were in a strange fantasy world experiencing all kinds of traumatic situations, and there was nothing they could do about it. Except keep reading.

"So frustrating.." he muttered, Mirai nodding sympathetically. "I mean, we.. gah!" Reaching behind his back with his opposite hand, he rubbed his left shoulder blade furiously.

"Are you okay?"

_I thought this went away when I came back from the book..._

"Trav?

"Y…yeah, I'm fine. Just an itch." Smiling tightly, he returned his attention to the faded pages of the book. "Keep reading, Mirai. Just… keep reading."

----------------

It was no wonder that Tamahome's chosen outfit had been so light and thin. As the horse's hooves pounded the dunes sending up a dusty spray, Yume regretted her stubborn decision to wear the filmy garment over her own clothes. She was slowly baking.

Honestly, she didn't really know where she as going. Towards town, she hoped. Her lack of appropriate money would serve to be a problem, but she could only cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, escaping from the clutches of that infuriating bandit was enough.

She wondered, though, what Tasuki would think. Would he see it as a betrayal? She didn't want to hurt him, but there was really nothing else to do. Wait there for who knows how long, or take a chance.

Yes, she was certain that she had done the right thing.

The Desert Hunters' tents faded more and more into the hazy distance every time Yume crested another dune. She looked back, smirked. Even though it wasn't exactly easy to do it, gripping the horse tightly as it lurched through the sand, she was succeeding. She had escaped capture all on her own, and was riding into the metaphorical sunset.

The horse descended again, hooves spread as it slid down the slope expertly. The ride was not entirely smooth, but Yume acknowledged the grace that the sleek dun possessed. She had not even considered until this point why it had allowed her to ride it so willingly—then, she had cared about the fact that she had a chance to get away at all. She puzzled over the question as the horse regained speed over a brief flat stretch.

The dunes in the distance were considerably lower than those that she was now leaving behind—she remembered from her survey of the area when they had arrived in the desert that this was a sign that she was well on the way towards the promise of town. She felt a surge of triumphant accomplishment even as the sweat beaded on her brow with every thundering stride of the bandits' horse. Now she could begin to breathe easy and form plans on what to do next.

Lost in these thoughts, she slowly came to the realization of something rather startling—the dun was slowing, in increments. Blurred desert landscape came into focus as this happened—the feeling of exhilarating speed faded. Yume's mind raced; there was no time for slacking their pace when she was so close. To her horror, as the minutes went on the horse transitioned to a brisk trot, then a walk, before abruptly coming to a dead stop nearly in the exact center of the flat stretch of valley between where Yume came from, and where she _wanted_ to go.

It raised its neck and sniffed the air, Yume all the while futilely kicking at it in hopes of inspiring it to movement. Idly, the dun swished its tail in the silence.

"_No_, you blasted horse! You can't do this to me, we were halfway there! Don't…just…stand…there." Yume punctuated each word with a solid kick of her heels to its sides. _It figures…_

The dun's ears were now flicking from side to side, and it was shifting its hooves impatiently. Yume sank into the saddle, leaning her head against the horse's arches neck. "Please…move…" she mumbled in its ear. For a moment, as the horse lurched forward, she believed that it might've finally decided to listen to her. Then she realized with further sinking spirits that the hooves she heard were not those of the horse that she now rode. Due to the dun's stubborn nature, she had lost the time she had gained in her escape.

"_Now_ look what you've done, stupid horse." It merely snorted at her and tossed its head. _I should've known better, with a horse that_ belongs_ to the bandits._ "The last thing that I want is to be _re_-captured by Tamahome, so get going!"

Obviously the horse didn't really understand her, but it _did_ seem to know the words "Tamahome" and "go". Unfortunately, it completely missed the context of her statement. Turning about, it galloped away in the opposite direction.

"The other way, the _other_ way!" Panic seized Yume; she could hear two sets of hooves now at almost the same level of audibility. Tamahome would soon rise over the dune before the flat stretch, and she certainly did not want to meet him head-on.

"Come on, horse," she said in the most convincing tone that she could muster. "We're…friends, right? Why don't we turn around…and then Tamahome can chase us, kind of like a…_game._ Wouldn't that be fun? The game goes like this. _We run like crazy away from him and don't get caught!_" She rambled at it like this, hoping against hopes that somehow, in this crazy place, luck would for once be on her side and her unlikely plan would actually work.

In the next breathless moments, nothing changed. The dun thundered on, and it truly seemed as if it would continue until her plan completely fell apart around her.

_Maybe if I tried some keywords… talked in simpler terms._

"Tamahome. Bad. Turn. Go away. Er…do not pass go, do not collect $200?" The pace faltered only for a second as the horse's eye rolled up at her. _Okay, maybe not._

Yume sighed. "All I want to do, if it isn't too much to ask, is to go to the city."

She nearly flew out of the saddle as the horse once again stopped, this time with no gradual transition. It stamped its feet; unbelievably, it was as if it were mulling the idea over in its mind. Unlikely as that seemed, it didn't matter as long as she could get away from the bandits.

"Um…please?" _Let this work, let this work…_Ears drooping, it swung back around and picked up speed once more. Yume attempted to chase away her questions and feeling of incredulity; all that mattered was that she _seriously_ needed to make up for lost time. Leaning as far down as she could on the dun's muscular back, she finally looked behind her out of the corner of her eye. She instantly regretted it. Through the haze of kicked-up dust, she could see the galloping legs of a black horse in the all-too-near distance.

"Keep running," she whispered to her own horse, who was finally stepping up to the challenge. Its long stride only briefly touched the sand as it churned beneath its hooves. She could hear Tamahome's attempts to shout over the pounding hooves and the distance between them, and cringed. _If it weren't for this loyal, stubborn thing…__ I can't think about my chances now. Every second counts, at this point. _

The dun weaved from one side to the other in avoiding spiny vegetation, which was appearing with increasing frequency as they neared the ivory-colored walls of the desert city. Yume refused to look behind again, concentrating instead on keeping her grip and pace. Her mouth had become very dry, and her eyes red and blurry; all that was pushed to the back of her mind. _Speed…_ She clenched a fistful of mane.

Yume grit her teeth as a foreleg slid into her peripheral vision—she had lost more ground than she had thought. Sensing this proximity, the horse she rode surged ahead, inch by inch. She hoped fervently that the dun had not allowed the other horse to catch up only to prove its superiority, if indeed superiority it possessed. The twin sets of hooves echoed in her ears, a constant reminder of her dangerous dance between freedom and capture. The next moments would decide. She could no longer see any part of her pursuer, but she sensed his presence as surely as if his horse were breathing on her neck. If she could just reach the walled city ahead of him and slip into a crowd; maybe, just maybe, that would be enough.

She could hear, vaguely, bits of his attempted shouts before they scattered into the wind their speed created. She wondered idly what it could be that he was trying to tell her, but concluded that she was better off not knowing. Determined not to let anything he said get to her, Yume pointedly ignored him as she urged her horse on.

And then there it was, close enough that she herself could have said it.

"Fersiforu!"

Yume's heart leapt to her throat as the horse's gait faltered; she gave it a solid kick to discourage further hesitation. "You're _his_ horse, aren't you," she whispered to the dun accusingly. It merely lowered its head, snorted. She didn't really expect, or need, an answer; she had concluded as much a while ago, but had only now had this suspicion confirmed. So, then, why did it not just stop for its true rider? She prayed that this bizarre luck would hold. _Does this horse want to get away from Tamahome as much as I do?_ She chuckled at the thought, however unlikely. Continuing shouts snapped her back to her current reality.

"…op! You…tess of…ku! Don'…void me!"

Yume blinked in confusion. Obviously, he wanted her to stop and listen to him, which was exactly what she was _not_ going to do. She kept her eyes straight ahead of her, and could hear the hooves fall back behind her. _So maybe this horse_ is _superior, after all._ She smirked. The walls continued to rise ahead of her. It would not be much longer… She was sure that she could coax the powerful horse into one last push to reach the arched gates, welcoming her to disappear into safety and anonymity.

Having by this time regained some of her former confidence so close to her goal of escape, Yume's focus was so set on that last stretch that she felt rather than saw Fersiforu's glossy leather reins slide from her hands as a form vaulted onto his back behind her. Within the next startling seconds as the dun thundered on towards the gate now looming over them, a strong pair of tanned arms were around her own arms and waist, effectively binding her as one hand controlled the appropriated reins. She had almost done it, but now it was over; Tamahome, it seems, had won. Yume squirmed a bit, but was instantly discouraged by the firm reaction of the bandit tightening his grip ever so slightly. _But we're still heading towards town…_

"You hungry?" Tamahome's voice, speaking quietly right next to her ear, caused Yume to jump a bit—at least as much as she could, in her current situation. That certainly wasn't what she expected the first thing out of his mouth after her escape attempt would be.

"I am…yeah," she answered, a tone of suspicion in her voice. "Didn't you get food once I chased you out of the tent so I could change?"

"Mm. That was…the plan. Once I heard Fersi take off, though, that changed to finding another horse to follow with as quickly as possible, ya know. This one was the closest one available… Tasuki's horse," he said, before she could ask. "He wanted to come too, of course, but that would mean borrowing someone else's ride, and there aren't many in the camp who are willing to part with a good horse, even for a little while."

Yume nodded, secretly wishing that it had been Tasuki who had followed on his own horse, and Tamahome stuck begging for another one. As it was, she didn't imagine that would take long; Tasuki seemed to have a comparatively lower rank, while Tamahome was more "Ruzoku's right hand man." But Tamahome wouldn't think of that. Yume sighed.

They were now passing through the cream-stone gateway that opened onto a bustling city. A market spread before them, with carts and stands loaded with all sorts of goods, the farmers and merchants loudly boasting of the deals that they offered. It truly was a situation that one could melt into and disappear, Yume though ruefully. Fersi picked carefully through the crowd, swinging his head this way and that as he eagerly took in his surroundings. Yume agreed that it was an interesting and exciting place, but was unable at the moment to do much more than brood over the mess she had found herself in. Despite her most desperate attempts, she was no closer in her search for friend and cousin, and worse, she was a prisoner again.

"Don't squirm so much. It's bad enough trying to navigate with one hand and ride double in this place." Yume glowered down at her hands, still grasping handfuls of Fersi's mane. Tasuki's horse followed obediently, not needing to be led so that it would not bolt. They turned down a street that was more narrow and comparatively less busy—people shuffled by on various errands or leaned against the walls of buildings, only lifting their eyes briefly as the two horses passed by. It was not a particularly rich city, though there were those who obviously did quite well as merchants there; most of the people seemed rather ordinary, with brightly colored yet cool clothing. Some sneers tossed Yume's way made her briefly grateful that she was on alone on this street—although she figured she would have avoided such semi-abandoned side streets if she had been on her own, anyway.

As she continued to observe her surroundings with increasing curiosity, the horses simultaneously stopped before a well-lit archway at a clicking noise and a subtle tug of the reins from Tamahome. The sun was beginning to set, and the building's lights flickered across the pathway; lively voices and clattering dishes could be heard over a strumming instrument that Yume had never heard before. She blinked as Tamahome fluidly dismounted before he turned back towards her and offered his hand, straight-faced. She started to stubbornly slide off on her own, but he grasped her elbow halfway down and didn't release it once her feet had reached the dusty ground.

"Don't try anything," he muttered, and she gave him an exasperated look. He half-dragged her into the room, largely ignored by the likely drink-induced merriment of the crowd. Weaving through staggering and laughing bunches of people, they eventually arrived at a long table lined with benches. Many of those seated there nodded to Tamahome, who returned the gesture. _More bandits, maybe…?_ The table was covered with plates and platters, both full and empty—those last were periodically replaced by servers who silent appeared without being summoned. This certainly was not the meager fare of stew and stale bread offered back at the camp.

Tamahome slid back one of the small benches on the side of the table that was against the wall and faced the entryway—he pulled Yume down beside him, not violently but certainly with an amount of force. She glared at him, but bit her tongue. Speaking in a low murmur to the men around him, he was passed steaming bowls and platters, which he gratefully took portions from and placed on his own plate. Yume stretched her arm out to take a bowl as it went by, only to feel Tamahome's left arm reach around her shoulders and across her collar bone, restricting her movement. He grinned as her eyes flashed angrily up at him. Keeping his arm around her, he scooped some food from the bowl onto her plate. He continued to do this with following platters.

"I suppose you plan to feed me, as well," she said dryly under her breath so that only he could hear. At this, he loosened his grip so that her right arm was free.

"…I'm left-handed…"

He shifted hastily to the other side. She shook her head, stiffly bringing food to her mouth with the provided utensil. Several men around the table chuckled, as if she were some new amusement—this she resented, but there was little she could do about it. Yume attempted to ignore most of the conversation going on around her. It was mostly talk of trade, of hunting—not just boring, but also rather coarse. When the conversation suddenly become more personal, she brought her attention back reluctantly to her surroundings. And wished that she could become invisible.

"So, where did you acquire this one?" A raspy voice accompanies this question from across the table. Yume's fist clenched around the spoon she now held.

"I…wouldn't say "acquire". She is merely under my care—for the moment. She's trying to find someone…"

Before Yume's surprise could register that Tamahome was being truthful about her situation, the man across from them broke into a grin that glinted in the low light. His eyes held much amusement.

"Under your care. Sure." He chucked, a grating sound.

"Think what you want, Tsukori." Tamahome glowered, lifting a drinking-bowl to his mouth. The other man's smile only widened, with a glint in his eye to match the metallic one in his grin.

"Oh, I will. Don't worry." Yume cringed and wondered how much longer she would have to put up with this. Could she trust what Tasuki had claimed was protection? Running from it had done no good. Sitting here accomplished nothing. Yume was relieved to find that it was not long until the topic of discussion had moved on to other, safer—for her, anyway—subjects. Feuds between clans of bandits, wars in far-off regions—these were talked about in a more hushed, serious tone. She tried to listen, but found it hard to follow. Something about betrayals between armies and emperors, misunderstandings and rampant rumors sparking wars, friend turning on friend—which all really seemed to boil down to one big _mess_. Trying to sort it all out was beginning to give her a headache. She gave up.

As she began to feel drowsy and many of the plates were being cleared, Yume felt a subtle loosening of Tamahome's grip on her upper arms. She twisted around to try and look up at him, and caught Tasuki's eye as he silently slid onto the beach next to her. He gave her a warm, friendly smile and then a look for Tamahome that was clearly meant to say "What are you _doing_?" Tamahome immediately removed his arm, much to Yume's inward amusement.

"You missed dinner, Tas'," Tamahome said, indicating the mostly-empty platters.

Tasuki nodded, but was still smiling. "I'll be fine, I ate a bit while at camp looking for a _horse_." His obvious but not mean-spirited emphasis of the word caused Tamahome to wince playfully.

"Ah, yes, well…yours is out there, now."

"I noticed."

"Mm."

Yume was relieved by Tasuki's presence in this place—at least she believed he would consistently stick up for her—but still hoped they would not remain there much longer. It was stuffy, and there were far too many conversations that she would rather not hear. She yawned, a little too loudly.

"Yume. You must be tired…you've ridden long and hard." As she turned, she saw Tasuki giving her a look of concern. "We have to return to camp first, though. Ruzoku…will only forgive our absence for so long. Do you think you can ride? You could ride with me, otherwise, if you wish…"

Yume nodded, though to which option, she was not sure. "I think I can ride," she said after a moment. _I've had enough of males holding down my arms for one day…_ Tasuki nodded in return. Tamahome remained uncharacteristically silent. He seemed to be deep in thought, staring out at nothing in particular. Finally, he too nodded, and they all rose to leave the tavern.

It was a fairly uneventful, quiet night's ride across the dunes—a chill in the air sliced through Yume's now too-thin clothing and the sand was bathed in a blue-grayish glow. Yume rode the extra horse, who was not as smooth a ride as Fersi but still did not give her many problems other than the occasional spook. It was a non-descript dark brown color, and somewhat small in build compared to the other two horses. The three riders took a brisk but comparatively leisurely pace, the bandits—particularly Tasuki—occasionally slowing to point something out to Yume that she otherwise would have certainly missed. They knew this desert well.

About half-way though the trip, Yume edged her horse closer to Tasuki's. Tamahome glanced over from where he was curiously, but remained there.

"I want to ask you some questions, while I still have the chance."

"Yes, what is it Yume?"

"Well…" she scanned the star-filled skies above her, as if hoping to find the words among them. "First off…why is Tamahome so mean to me? It's like there's something he doesn't like about me, something that offends him…"

Tasuki blinked, his horse's gait slowing. His expression seemed to be one of bewilderment.

"Has he really treated you so badly? I know he's not the most…sensitive person. I don't believe he would do anything to truly harm you, so I don't think it has anything to do with 'dislike' or 'offense.'" He shrugged, but shot a glance over at the other bandit who now rode ahead of them.

Yume bit her lip. "Well… maybe not. It's just…calling me a witch, keeping me like a captive…it doesn't make sense. I don't even really know him!"

"Hmm… you might know him more than you think." It was a hushed, distant tone—almost a whisper. He was still looking ahead, his thoughts somewhere else.

"_What_?... Don't say 'nothing'!" Yume added as Tasuki began to open his mouth. He stopped, and grinned sheepishly.

"You see? You even seem to know _me_ pretty well." He smiled again, and she shook her head. After a pause, he continued speaking.

"Yume, I wish I could say more at this point than 'trust us.' Don't take Tamahome's actions too seriously, either. He…is in some ways as lost as you."

With that, Yume was left to ponder Tasuki's mysterious explanation as they crested one of the tall dunes that surrounded the desert camp. When this gave them a clear, far-off view of the tents, her breath caught in her throat.

Ruzoku's Hunter camp was on fire.

"_Hah_!" Tamahome shouted into the surreal stillness, coaxing Fersiforu into a rapid speed down the dune towards the blazing camp. Tiny dark figures, like ants at this distance, swarmed among the groups of tents that now glowed red even in the darkness of night. Tasuki soon followed, once assured that Yume was not left behind. She clung to her horse in a daze, unable to rip her eyes away from the leaping flames and the swirling specks she vaguely acknowledged as people.

"We're under attack," Tasuki said breathlessly as they thundered across the sand. "It's Sasuke's Talons, I just know it. Ruzoku _allowed_ them to become this strong." There was a bitterness to his voice unfamiliar to Yume. His mouth was set in a thin, grim line, but his eyes were wide with what could only be fear.

**Ari:** Well, I hope people got through all that, I know it's a lot to ask people to read for a story that is on the internet. :P That should be it for Yume for a little while.. next chapter will feature Ari and Riki!

Also, I don't know if it seems like it to anyone else, but Tasuki might seem a little too nice, a little too perfect… as they call them in fan-fic, a "Harry Stu" (after Mary Sue, the perfect character that is based on the author, all the guys fall in love with her, she's wonderful as can be, etc.) Well, he's not perfect, he has weaknesses too… as you may see in later chapters. Just clearing that up a bit.

One last thing…

**Q:** Why do the characters in the story (except Trav) have Japanese names, when they are not Japanese in the slightest and live in California?

**A:** Well, honestly we just didn't want to use boring, regular names and wanted it to seem more like anime. ;; But the in-storyworld explanation is that Ari, Yume and Mirai's respective parents were friends in college and all liked Japanese culture so much that they decided to name their kids Japanese names. Yeah, it's kinda weird. But that's my story.. and I'm sticking to it. :P Ha…

'Til next time!


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